The Fate of A Wizard
by Beggs
Summary: Harry Potter. Man. Wizard. Jedi... wait! what? Join Harry on his journey, as he makes friends, and battles foes throughout the entire Universe. HarryPotter/StarWars crossover. Give it a chance! It MIGHT just shock you. COMPLETE!
1. The Final Battle of Earth

Authors note: I don't own anything in this story, except for most of the storyline and plot of course, (Aren't they the same thing?) and also the spell that Harry uses. Oh yeah, this first chapter has spoilers for the first 6 books. The rest of the chapters will not really have anymore to do with the books, as it no longer is related to the books, besides Harry being the main character and such. Sorry if there are grammar errors or anything, I tried to make it error free, but it happens. Okay, enjoy this new rewrite!

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**Chapter One:**

**The Final Battle**

Several years ago, in the country of England, there lived a very mysterious group of people with even more mysterious powers. These people were called Witches and Wizards. However, things were not going well for the Wizarding world. A man named Tom Marvolo Riddle, more commonly known as Lord Voldemort, or You-Know-Who, had begun a reign of terror, and the people had no idea what to do. Soon, after eleven years, a prophecy was made, and was recited to one Albus Dumbledore by one Sybill Trelawny.

While this prophecy was being recited, Aberforth Dumbledore, who happened to be the owner of the inn that Albus Dumbledore Sybill Trelawny were currently in, noticed an intruder listening in on the conversation. Severus Snape was then kicked out of the inn, and he went to tell his Master the part of the prophecy that he heard…

A few months later, the Potters, a prominent wizarding family, went into hiding underneath the Fidilius Charm, and named Peter Pettigrew their Secret Keeper. Of course, they told the public that Sirius Black was actually the Secret Keeper.

Peter, being a Death Eater, told his Master the address of the Potters, and soon, the child of the Potters would be dead, and he Lord Voldemort would be unstoppable in his quest to rule over the World.

On Halloween night, 1981, Voldemort arrived at the Potter's house. With a silent _Alohomora_ Voldemort was inside. And the Potters knew it too.

James had yelled to Lily, "Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off–," and she ran upstairs. There were sounds of someone stumbling from a room– a door bursting open– a cackle of high pitched laughter. She first tried to Apparate, but realized that the Anti-Apparation wards were up. Next she tried a Portkey, to take her to her true home, but it didn't work. When that happened, she cast a spell upon her son, which she had been working on. It transferred most of her magical power to Harry, and she effectively turned herself into almost a squib. Barely any magical power. Young Harry glowed gold for a moment, then turned back to normal.

She heard the stairs creaking, and she dreaded what would happen next. She then saw one of the most horrifying things in her life. First, James tottered up the stairs, but his eyes looked so dead, so empty. She then saw Voldemort climbing up the stairs behind him.

"You see, you do not need to suffer the same fate as him. Give me the boy, and I will let you live." Voldemort said calmly.

"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!" Lily said desperately said.

"Stand aside, you silly girl… stand aside, now…" Voldemort said, starting to get impatient.

"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead–" Lily was crying now.

"Stand aside… NOW!" Voldemort was starting to get angry.

"Not Harry… Please… have mercy… have mercy…" Lily sobbed, and knew she would die. Pointing her concealed wand at Harry, she whispered, "I love you Harry… _Tempus Portus Verus Domus_," and it was then that Voldemort attacked.

"Stand aside, silly girl. No? Then you will die too! _Avada Kedavra_!" Voldemort called out. Lily was dead.

Voldemort then turned to Harry, and smiled a sick smile, and said, "Goodbye, Harry Potter, you may have been a worthy adversary," and with that, Voldemort said a quick _Avada Kedavra_, which was pointed at the baby's forehead, and it hit Harry. It enveloped him, and his pure magic, fought with the deadly chaos magic, for control. Voldemort smiled, and started to turn around, when suddenly, the curse shot back out of the toddler, and hit him square in the chest. Voldemort, thanks to his many rituals, did not die from the curse, but he was stripped from his body. Nothing more than a spirit, Voldemort fled.

The rest is now history.

Harry Potter, grew up not knowing about magic, as his Aunt and Uncle claimed there was definitely no such thing, and if he even tried to use his imagination, he would be punished. After ten years of Harry living with his neglective, and slightly abusive relatives, Harry finally got a letter that would change his life forever. However, it took a half-giant called Hagrid to deliver it to him.

Soon Harry was happy at his new school. But he also found out that he was famous, and that meant he had many admirers, but also a lot of enemies. Namely the children of Death Eaters. Harry made 2 great friends, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, and together, they did many great things together.

During his years at Hogwarts, Harry had to endure a great many things, he was almost killed every year he was at Hogwarts. Year one, he saved the Sorcerer's Stone, or more commonly, the Philosopher's Stone, from Voldemort, and nearly died from doing it.

Year two, he faced ridicule and was accused of being a Dark Wizard, just because he could speak Parsletongue. He nearly died that year as well, and he would have, if Fawkes didn't show up in time in the Chamber of Secrets. He also destroyed a very important magical item to Voldemort, as it was a piece of his soul. On a lighter note, Harry freed Dobby the house-elf from the care of the Malfoys.

Year three, he had Dementors after him, well, not actually after _him_, but they still affected him. That year, he saved his Godfather Sirius Black from a worse fate than Death… The Dementor's Kiss. Sirius Black was falsely accused of killing 12 muggles (or non-magic people) and Peter Pettigrew, as well as giving information to Voldemort and assisting in murder. Sirius was never given a trial, as all the evidence pointed against him.

However, Harry, along with Hermione, traveled back in time 3 hours prior, and not only saved Sirius, but Buckbeak the Hippogriff as well. They escaped into the moonlight.

Year four, Harry's Hogwarts years took a turn for the worse. He was entered as the Fourth Tri-Wizard Champion, and was forced to face Dragons, Merpeople, and finally, was forced to witness not only the death of a classmate, but the rebirth of Lord Voldemort. He was forced to duel, and barely escaped with his life, and Cedric Diggory's body. Soon after he got back to Hogwarts, Harry's DADA professor, turned out to be an imposter, and a long-thought dead Death Eater. He was given the Dementor's Kiss as soon as the Minister of Magic, a complete idiot by the name of Cornelius Fudge, who denied the return of Voldemort as soon as he heard about it.

Year five, Harry and his cousin Dudley were attacked by Dementors in an alley near Magnolia Crescent. Harry was forced to go to trial in front of a full Wizengamot court, for defending himself and his cousin. Harry was found innocent, but was still slandered by the Daily Prophet. Harry nearly lost it that year, he was almost always angry, and having Delores Umbridge at Hogwarts didn't help his mood any. She forced to write "I will not tell lies," in a blood quill, tried to use Veritiserum to gain information about the whereabouts of Sirius Black and Albus Dumbledore, who earlier was forced to leave the school, as he was being threatened by the Ministry of Magic, who tried to attack him.

Harry had been having visions that year, and those visions led him to the Department of Mysteries, to save Sirius. Of course, the vision was made up by Voldemort to lure Harry there to retrieve the prophecy made by Sybill Trelawney years earlier. And it worked. Harry, along with his friends Ron and Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood, all went to the Department of Mysteries, and were ambushed by Death Eaters. Needless to say, the Order of the Phoenix, a vigilante group led by Dumbledore, showed up, and started to fight Death Eaters.

Sirius had come with them, and had engaged into battle with his cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange. He was taunting her, and she threw a stunner at him, and he fell, with a surprised look on his face, through the Veil of Death. Harry snapped, and went after Bellatrix himself, and used the first Unforgivable in his life on her– Crucio.

Eventually, Voldemort showed up, as did Dumbledore, and they engaged in battle. Then Voldemort tried a last-ditch effort to have get Harry killed by possessing him, and Harry welcomed the death that he knew would come. As his thoughts turned to Sirius, Voldemort was forced out of Harry's head, and Harry was himself again.

Harry was portkeyed to Dumbledore's office, and was told the Prophecy by Dumbledore. Harry was upset, but he now realized that he had known that all along, he knew he would have to kill Voldemort.

Year six, Harry started his training to defeat Voldemort. Starting with Voldemort's history. There, Dumbledore and he hoped to find his true weakness. And they found it– it was the key to his immortality… Horcruxes. Harry found out that Snape had overheard the prophecy from Trelawney, and was angry beyond belief. As soon as he went up to Dumbledore's office though, he forgot about his anger at Snape, when he found out that Dumbledore had found another Horcrux- Slytherin's Locket.

Harry faced the Inferi for the first time in his life, not counting the corpse of his Father when he was 1 year old, which Voldemort had reanimated. And he screwed up, big time. He had forgotten the advice that Dumbledore had given him about the weakness of Inferi– fire. Dumbledore had managed to drive them back, then Harry apparated them back to Hogwarts. Soon, they got to Hogwarts, and the Dark Mark was just above the tallest tower in the castle. Harry and Dumbledore flew up there on Madame Rosemerta's brooms, and were soon faced by Draco Malfoy. Malfoy could only see Dumbledore, however, because Harry had on his invisibility coat.

Malfoy just couldn't do it, however. Then Snape showed up and killed Dumbledore, but not before Dumbledore, was begging Snape for something. Harry assumed it was for his life. Snape had a look of pure hatred, and said _Avada Kedavra_, and killed Dumbledore. Dumbledore glowed green for a moment, then flew backwards, off the tower, and landed on the Hogwarts grounds. Harry then realized that the only thing holding him back now, was shock. Harry then chased after the Death Eaters, and tried to duel with Snape, but he deflected every spell Harry threw at him. Soon after, Harry went to go help Hagrid, after Snape escaped. After Harry took the horcrux out of Dumbledore's robes, he realized that the locket was a fake.

Harry made the final decision about where Dumbledore should be buried. And he decided that if Dumbledore wanted to be buried on Hogwarts grounds, that's where he would be buried. At Dumbledore's funeral, Harry was cornered by the new Minister of Magic, Rufus Scimgeour, who wanted Harry to be the Ministry's poster boy. Harry did not accept. As Harry looked at Hogwarts, one last time, he realized that his life was changed forever, and nothing he could ever do could change that.

And now, Hogwarts was on the brink of collapse. It's once majestic towers now lay broken and in ruins. It had been about a year or two since Harry had last been here, and it was different than it once was. Dead bodies lying all over. Some were bloody and mangled; others looked simply as if they had been frightened to death. And a young man, nearing his twenties, along with a man who had long ago lost his humanity, was right in the middle of it all, battling it out. They were both evenly matched, but were both losing strength.

The young man's name was Harry Potter. Harry Potter had an interesting scar, in the shape of a lightning bolt, right above his right eyebrow. Funnily enough, he was facing the man who gave him his scar in the first place. That's right,_ Voldemort_. Mass murderer. And in Harry's personal opinion, smoked too much muggle "weed" when he was a child. And right now they were battling in the Great Hall.

"Potter, I am giving you one last chance. Join me or die." Voldemort said, nearly giving in to his rage.

"Hm… I think not Voldemort. You've screwed my life up enough as it is! This ends now!" roared Harry.

"I was thinking the same exact thing, Potter. _Avada Kedavra_" started Voldemort.

Harry dodged, and yelled "_Expelliarmus_". The spell connected with Voldemort and forced him back, while his wand was tugged from his hand. Voldemort was now defenseless. Then, some how, he called his wand back. "I don't think so, Potter."

Harry looked at the man, no _monster_, and said coldly, "Time to die, Riddle. _Sepelio Vir Pravum_."

Just as Voldemort launched off his final spell. "_Transporto Astrum Pugna._"

A blinding light came from Harry's wand and hit Voldemort directly in his chest, just as Voldemort's hit Harry. Voldemort screamed an unearthly scream as he was being utterly destroyed, while Harry was being teleported to some other far off place…

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" screamed Voldemort. He was dead in the next instant.

Harry sighed. _Here I go again…_

Suddenly, Harry found himself in a strange white room, where only he and the whiteness only existed. Then, out of no where, a strange voice sounded out of no where.

**"You have done well, Harry Potter. You have rid Earth of its evil. But do you remember your oath of going and defeating evil? You must have known that there is more than just evil on Earth? Surely you must have realized this?"**

"You mean there is more than evil on Earth?" Harry asked, for he had never thought about there being more corruption than that on Earth.

**"Yes, Harry, there is more. You no longer are needed on Earth. That is way I am sending you to a galaxy far, far away… one with far more corruption than that of Earth, and it's corruption."** said the mysterious voice.

"What is the name of this galaxy?" Harry asked.

**"I cannot tell you. All you will have with you in your 'new' life is yourself, your wand, and any weapons or items you pick up on the way. I cannot say anymore to you, for my time is up."** said the mysterious voice.

"But…" Harry started.

**"That is all. Good luck in your quest Harry Potter, and May the Force be with you."**

The next thing Harry knew, he was being stared at by a tall, black man, (which reminded him slightly of Kingsley), and some weird alien thing that reminded him slightly of Dobby…

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Author's note: Kinda cheesy I know, but hey, better than my last story! (You won't find it on here because I deleted it so…) Anyway… Oh yes, the voice is not supposed to be of "God" as many of you have asked or wondered about. It's kind of like the Force, but I don't know. Use your imaginations.

Translations:

Sepelio- Destroy

Vir- Man

Pravum- Evil

In other words, the spell "_Sepelio Vir Pravum_" means in Latin, to "Destroy this Man's Evil."

The portkey that Lily performed on Harry earlier in the chapter was a timed portkey. It had to be activated by certain keywords. Which Voldemort happened to stumble on. So that's that. So Harry is a portkey, though it really was connected to his magical core. So there.

Please don't sue me! And also, CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is always nice! DON'T FLAME ME PLEASE! Oh yes, one more thing, I would like some comments so yep, you know what you need to do.

**Beggs**


	2. Problems with Senators, and Earth's Chos

Author's note: Well, I think I'm doing pretty good, if I say so my self. Of course, I would rather have longer chapters (who wouldn't?), but that's beside the point. I don't own anything except for the storyline and some of the spells from the first chapter. Who knows? Maybe some more will show up… By the way, in Star Wars times, this is around the Clone Wars era. Before Episode 3 and Anakin getting in all of those adventures. So in other words, around when the movie/book first starts. Okay, now for reviews!

DanielHimura- you are right of course, but the real reason I put that in there was to not only give some sort of background, but also to fill in a little more space. If I didn't put that in, then the chapter would have been about 2 or 2 and1/2 pages long, and I don't know about you, but those stories kind of tick me off, if there are only a few chapters, so yeah. But you are right. I didn't need to put that in, and people who are reading should have read the books, or know the story, via movies or something. So thanks. Oh by the way, this is not the end of the story, it will keep on coming. My computer just wouldn't upload, that's all.

That's all. Oh, and sorry for the shorter chapter this time. I'm trying to make them a little longer than last time I posted this, but it's harder than it looks. At least for me anyway.

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**Chapter Two:**

**Problems with Senators and Earth's Chosen One**

The Jedi council meeting was to be in order soon, and all of the members were chatting quietly. The earlier events of the day had left them shocked, for they had not seen this coming. They had, of course, heard rumors of an attack to the Senator, but they weren't too worried. Who would attempt an attack in broad daylight?

But now, although the Senator was not harmed, they now knew for certain that someone wanted Senator Amidala dead. The question now remained: who?

The Jedi then decided to start the meeting.

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_Meanwhile..._

It took longer than Padme expected to change and make it to the Senate chamber. By the time she and her escorts arrived, most of the flying platforms that covered the walls were occupied and the session had started. Padme heard one of the senators shouting as she entered her platform.

"…needs more security now! Before it comes to war."

Padme craned her neck. The speaker was Orn Free Taa, the fat, blue-skinned Twi'leck Senator who was one of the biggest supporters of the Military Creation Act.

"Must I remind the Senator that negotiations are continuing with the Separatists?" Chancellor Palpatine said firmly. Padme found it hard to understand how he could remain so calm in the face of such constant provocation, but somehow Palpatine always seemed unaffected by the angry shouting around him. "Peace is our objective here," the Chancellor went on, "not war."

As the Senators shouted responses to the Chancellor's comments, Padme flicked the controls of her platform, setting it in motion. Deftly, she maneuvered around the other platforms already hovering near the center of the arena. As she passed the, she noted the occupants of the other pods — Ask Aak of Malastare, Darsana of Glee Anselm, and, of course, Orn Free Taa, all supporters of the bill. It was a good thing she had arrived when she did.

"My noble colleages, I concur with the Supreme Chancellor!" Padme said as soon as she reached the speaking area. "At all costs, we do not want war!"

To Padme's surprise, a stunned silence fell over the entire Senate. A moment later, cheers and applause sounded from every platform. Even Orn Free Taa and Ask Aak joined in, though with less enthusiasm.

"It is with great surprise and joy that the chair recognizes the Senator from Naboo, Padme Amidala," said Chancellor Palpatine. The unusual emotion in his voice told Padme what had happened.

_They must have heard about the explosion,_ Padme thought. It was then that she thought that she could perhaps use the attack to show them just how important this bill was. "Less than an hour ago, an assassination attempt was made against my life," she began. "One of my bodyguards and six others were ruthlessly and senselessly murdered." Her voice wavered as she remembered Corde, the bodyguard that was killed, but she forced herself to go on. She _MUST_ show them how important it was to avoid war.

"I was the target," Padme continued, "but more important I believe this security measure before you was the target. I have led the opposition to build an army… but there is someone in this body who will stop at nothing to assure its passage."

Some of the Senators booed. Padme kept her face calm with the skill of long practice, but inwardly she was dismayed to see how many of her colleagues were slipping toward supporting the army bill. "I warn you," she said, "if you vote to create this army, war will follow. I have experienced the misery of war firsthand; I do not wish to do it again.

"Wake up, Senators!" Padme cried over the rising shouts from other platforms. "You must wake up! If we offer the Separatists violence, they can only show us violence in return!"

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Palpatine met with four other Jedi in his office: Yoda, Mace Windu, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Soara Antana. 

"I will not let this Republic that has stood for a thousand years be split in two!" exclaimed Palpatine. "My negotiations will not fail!"

_Afraid, the Chancellor is not,_ Yoda thought.

Mace Windu looked at Palpatine with a grave expression, and continued where he left off. "But _if_ they do, you must realize there aren't enough Jedi to protect the Republic. We are keepers of the peace, not soldiers." Beside him, Ki-Adi-Mundi nodded in agreement.

Palpatine stared at them for a moment, then turned. "Master Yoda, do you think it will really come to war?"

Yoda closed his eyes and folded his long, flexible ears down, the better to fell the future shifting of the Force. The dark side hung like a thick fog over everything, hiding even the near events that were usually so clear, and growing denser the further ahead he tried to look. He saw light sabers flashings, and then suddenly… he had a vision of a boy facing some unknown evil, with weird wooden sticks, fighting each other. Lights came from the sticks, different colors, sickly green, deep dark red, lighter red, white, gold… so many colors, and they seemed to be only used for harm. They both seemed to be using the Force, but to Yoda, this was an unknown usage for it. He would have to check into it later. But for now…

"Worse than war, I fear," said Yoda. "Much worse."

"What?" demanded Palpatine.

"Impossible to see, the future is. But of this I'm sure —"He opened his eyes. "Do their duty the Jedi will."

Then the office door opened. Even before the delegation of loyalist Senators entered, Yoda felt a familiar presence. Smiling a little sadly, he rose and moved forward to greet Senator Padme Amidala. It was like her to insist on returning to work at once, despite the attempt on her life and the deaths among her crew. Though her face was calm, Yoda could sense her grief. He spoke directly to it. "Padme, your tragedy on the landing platform, terrible."

Padme gave a tiny nod, as if she could not bear to speak.

"With you, the Force is strong, young Senator," Yoda went on, tapping her lightly with his cane. "To see you alive brings warm feelings to my heart."

"Thank you Master Yoda," Padme replied softly. She looked up at the other Jedi and asked, "Do you have any idea who was behind this attack?"

"Our intelligence points to disgruntled spice miners on the moons of Naboo," Mace Windu told her.

Padme frowned. "I don't wish to disagree, but I think that Count Dooku was behind it."

Everyone in the room was surprised. Mace replied by saying, "You know, M'lady, Count Dooku was once a Jedi. He wouldn't assassinate anyone. It's not in his nature."

Yoda replied to this by saying, "In dark times, nothing is what it appears to be."

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The Jedi council met again for the second time that day, only this time it was by request from Master Yoda. 

"When seeing the future I tried, the Dark side of the Force clouded my sight, it did. But two figures appeared I saw. Using the Force they both were. But in ways, understand I did not." Yoda said to his fellow Jedi.

"What are you saying Master Yoda? Did you recognize them from the Jedi Temple?" Mace Windu asked. "Why were they fighting? And…"

"Patience," Yoda silenced him, "Getting to the point, I am. Out of the two figures, one, a boy was. The other, a person with an alien face, unlike what seen, I have. Seemed powerful, they both did. Using the Force, but in ways recognize I did not. Using strange wooden sticks, they did."

"Could you tell why they were fighting?" Ki-Adi-Mundi asked.

Yoda replied by saying, "What they were fighting for, I know not. This, I do know. Fighting for good, the boy was. Fighting for evil, the man was. More than that, I know not."

"Then we would do well to all ponder what Master Yoda has said about his vision. If there isn't anymore items someone would like to present, then I…" Mace started to conclude

Suddenly there was a bright flash of light, and a slightly strangled cry, followed by a boy with untidy black hair and a lightning bolt shaped scar falling into a crumpled heap onto the floor. At once all of the Jedi present rushed over to him to see if he was alright.

The boy groaned and started to stir.

"Ungh, where am I?" the boy asked.

Mace Windu, who was satisfied that he was alright, answered by saying, "You are in the Jedi council chambers. Now if I may ask, who are you?"

The boy started at him for a second, and then said, "Harry Potter, sir. What is yours?"

Mace looked around at his fellow Jedi and then replied, "Mace Windu, it is a pleasure to meet you Harry Potter."

Yoda was in shock. This was the boy from his vision! _Hm, disturbing this is, though learn much we could. And vice versa._

Harry looked around at all of the "so-called Jedi" and yelped. He never expected to see strange alien creatures this room. So he did what anyone would do in that kind of situation, and fainted.

The Jedi all looked disturbed for a second, and then decided to take him to the medical center.

* * *

_A few days later…_

The hydro lift door slid open, letting in a wash of cool, damp air. _Of course,_ thought Anakin. _Padme has set the climate to feel like Naboo._ In the past ten years, he had grown accustomed to worlds that were too cold and damp — after growing up on Tatooine, nearly everywhere else felt too cold and too damp to him. But this damp cold was different. It reminded him of his first spaceship flight, aboard the royal Naboo cruiser, when Padme found him shivering in the main room in the middle of the night. She had covered him with her over jacket… he could still remember the faint scent on the red silk. He shook himself and followed Master Obi-Wan out of the lift.

Anakin had been hoping that Padme would be there to greet them, but the only person in sight was Jar Jar Binks. The Gungan's long orange earflaps hung down over his robes, but Jar Jar's enthusiastic — and slightly awkward — greeting made it clear that his years in Galactic politics had not changed him much from the clumsy, confused Gungan Anakin remembered.

"It's good to see you, too, Jar Jar," Obi-Wan said, smiling in spite of himself.

"And dis is yousa apprentice," Jar Jar said, with an attempt at dignity. Then he peered more closely at Anakin. "Noooo! Annie? Noooo! Little bitty Annie? Yousa so biggen!"

"Hi, Jar Jar," Anakin said, grinning. He hoped the Gungan wasn't going to remind everyone of his childhood. Still, Jar Jar's happiness was irresistible, and he let himself be pulled into an enormous hug.

"Shesa expecting yousa," Jar Jar went on, and Anakin's heart leaped. Jar Jar looked at him again, shook his head, and said, "Annie… mesa no believen!"

When Jar Jar finished exclaiming over them, he led the way into a room off the main corridor. Anakin had a vague impression of light and unstated elegance, but his attention was caught immediately by the sight of Padme and one of her handmaidens coffering with a man wearing an eye patch an a Nabbo captain's uniform.

Interrupting Anakin's thoughts, Jar Jar said, "Lookie, lookie, Senator! Desa Jedi arriven."

Padme and the others turned. When she saw Obi-Wan, Padme smiled in recognition and rose to greet him. _She hardly even saw me,_ Anakin thought.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, M'lady," Obi-Wan said.

Padme smiled and took his hand. "It has been far too long, Master Kenobi. I'm so glad our paths have crossed again." She hesitated. "But I must warn you that I think your presence here is unnecessary."

Obi-Wan only said, "I'm sure the Jedi Council has their reasons."

Releasing Obi-Wan's hand, Padme moved in front of Anakin. He looked down at her as she stared up doubtfully at him. Surely she remembered! Finally, she said hesitantly, "Annie??"

Anakin nodded. Padme stared for another moment, then said weakly, "My goodness, you've grown."

"So have you," Anakin replied. _What a stupid thing to say, when I'm looking down at her!_ "Grown more beautiful, I mean. And much shorter —" _Why did I have to say that? But it's so odd, when I remember her as so much taller than me. _"— for a Senator I mean." _She's going to think I'm an idiot._

Obi-Wan clearly thought so; the disapproving look he gave Anakin was all too familiar. But to his relief, Padme only laughed and shook her head. The she said, "Oh, Annie, you'll always be that little boy I knew on Tatooine."

Obi-Wan then said, "Our presence will be invisible, M'lady, I assure you."

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YAY CH.2 IS DONE! PLEASE COMMENT BUT DON'T FLAME! 

**Beggs**


	3. Meeting of the Chosen Ones

Author's Note: Yesness! I have done it! I now have an outline of a few incoming chapters. I have figured that this story will be at least over 20 chapters long. It really all depends. It probably will be a LOT longer than that. How long though, I have no idea. Now for reviews…

Mardux- thanks, keep reviewing!

Twin Tails Speed- Thanks, keep reviewing!

Bloody Serpent 2- Thanks. It's good to know at least one person likes it.

That's all of the reviews for now.

Now, please enjoy this chapter…

* * *

_Last Time…_

_Harry looked around at all of the "so-called Jedi" and yelped. He never expected to see strange alien creatures this room. So he did what anyone would do in that kind of situation, and fainted._

_The Jedi all looked disturbed for a second, and then decided to take him to the medical center._

* * *

**Chapter Three:**

**Meeting of the Chosen Ones

* * *

**

"Ungh, where am I?" Harry asked for the second time that day.

"You are at the Republic's main medical center." a medical droid responded.

"What's this 'Republic' that you speak of? And what _are_ you?" Harry asked the droid.

Just then, Mace Windu and Yoda walked in the room. Mace answered for the droid, saying, "The Republic is a large group of planets that each has a representative in the 'Senate'. They all get together and decide on various topics ranging from small global disputes, and galactic war." The last part he said rather sadly.

Harry noticed this, but decided to stash it away to the back of his mind until he had time to think about it. Harry then asked, "So it's pretty much a large government, right?"

Mace smiled, and said, "Yes, that's exactly right. Now, this interesting machine is called a droid."

"A droid?" Harry asked, "I thought it was called a robot."

_Hm,_ Yoda thought. _Interesting. Very interesting…_

"A robot?" the strange word rolling off of Mace's lips.

"Yes, a robot." Harry responded. "It's fine though, 'droid' is a good name for it too."

"Though very interesting this is, ask you some questions, we would like to do." Yoda said rather uninterestingly. Meanwhile, Mace was trying to probe Harry's mind.

"Which planet are you from, Harry?" Mace asked.

"I am from a planet called Earth." responded Harry.

"Earth? Heard of such a planet, I have not." Yoda said.

"Are you sure Mr…?" Harry trailed off, realizing he didn't know either Jedi's names.

"Yoda, my name is," Yoda said.

"And my name is Mace Windu, and yes we are very sure. If you want though, we can go to the Jedi Archives tomorrow and find out if we may have missed something.

"Okay. When do I get out of here?" Harry asked. He acted like it didn't really matter when, but his eyes gave away the fact that he wanted to get out as soon as possible.

"Soon, Mr. Potter, soon," the medical droid, finally coming back into the conversation. "I just need to do a few more tests, and then you will be free to go."

_When they run the blood tests, I will ask if I can have a blood sample to check the midi-chlorian count in his blood. It seems that this boy radiates power, though I can't tell how,_ thought Mace._ Soon we shall see…

* * *

_

_A few hours later…_

"Master Yoda, come quickly!" exclaimed Mace. "Come look at the midi-chlorian count of this boy!"

Yoda came flying in, (A/N: literally, you know, on that one hovercraft-thingy that he uses in Clone Wars and Revenge of the Sith… At least I think he does in Revenge of the Sith…) and looked at the machine. On it, it read: **Midi-chlorian count- 50,000**.

When Yoda saw that, he was so amazed that he started to curse in his native tongue. _Unnerving, this is._ Yoda thought.

"No Jedi, not even young Skywalker has that high of a midi-chlorian count," said Mace softly. "And I doubt anyone ever will again."

"Tell young Harry Potter, we must," Yoda said.

"It is decided then, we shall go now." Mace said.

* * *

_A little while later…_

Harry was strolling around the Jedi Archives, being asked to not go anywhere else besides the Jedi Temple. _No need to risk losing me, I guess. Anyone would like to get there hands on me. I am people's precious Boy-Who-Bloody-Lived… No, I can't think like that. I'm not on Earth anymore so they don't know about me and my history… Or am I? Am I really **not** on Earth, or am I just in some secret city that I have never heard of, or history has long forgotten? This is all so confusing… And to top it off, I felt that one **human** "Jedi" probing my mind! I mean seriously, what's his problem? Must have thought I wouldn't know what it was… But that strange, small, ancient-looking alien acted like he knew me from somewhere… Ah, here they come now!_

And so they were. Mace Windu and Yoda were practically running as fast as they could towards him (and in Yoda's case, flying).

"There you are, Harry!" exclaimed Mace. "We just found out some really shocking, but appreciatively good news!"

"Did you just save a whole bunch of money on car insurance by switching to GEICO?" Harry muttered, but none the less, Mace heard him.

"What's 'GEICO'? and what's a 'car'?" Mace asked.

Harry just shook his head and answered, "I'll tell you some other time. Now, you said you had some news to share with me?"

Mace nodded and said, "Yes, we do. What would you say if we told you that you had the potential to become a very powerful Jedi?"

* * *

Harry got up very early the next morning, in order to make sure he was at the council chambers in time. Since, he didn't exactly know where the council chambers where, he decided to go exploring a little. It took him about 3 hours before he finally admitted to himself that he was lost. He saw a person who he thought was a Jedi, (judging from the light saber that hung from her belt) and asked her, "Do you know where the Jedi council chambers are?" 

She looked at him. He could feel her gaze going up and down his body, then saw her nod. She then said, "Yes, would you please follow me, Mister…?" she trailed off.

"Potter," he said. "Harry Potter. But you can call me Harry."

"Alright then, it's a pleasure to meet you Harry." she smiled at him. "My name is Darra Thel-Tanis, but you can call me Darra."

"Shall we go then?" Harry asked.

"Let's." Darra replied smiling.

Harry was feeling extremely happy. If he wasn't mistaken, he had just made a new friend in this place. And it was obvious that Darra felt the same way, if not even more.

"Well, here we are!" said Darra happily. "Try not to let the council members get you down!"

Harry thanked her, and knocked on the chamber doors. He heard a voice call enter, and he did. Inside there were 12 different life forms in the twelve different seats.

"Harry, glad you could join us. Just a small question though, why weren't you here about 15 minutes ago?" Mace Windu asked him.

Harry was shocked that he was late, but a quick glance at his watch told him that the Jedi spoke the truth. "I am sorry Mace, but I got lost looking for the Council Chambers, and finally had to ask a Jedi named Darra to help me out." Harry said apologetically.

"Alright, it is," said Yoda. "Here you are, matters most it does."

"Harry, we will ask you a few questions, and you are to respond, telling us what the answer is." Mace said conversationally.

And so the tests began. Harry started to feel something probing his mind, so he put up his strongest Occulumency shields up- which, by the way, he had improved upon in the recent years- and saw some of the Masters looked surprised when they couldn't read his mind. Harry then began the tests, which were mostly consisting of what was on the screen that the Jedi looked upon, which he himself couldn't see from his position.

After the tests were over, the Jedi told him to wait outside for a few minutes, while the Jedi discussed what to do. So, Harry did as he was told and went outside. When he walked out of the Chamber doors, he accidentally bumped into another Jedi. He and the Jedi both fell down onto the ground. The Jedi got up, scowling.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked, "I'm so sorry, I wasn't expecting you to be right there."

The Jedi only shook his head, and said, "It's alright, I wasn't exactly paying attention myself." He then raised his head and said, "How rude of me. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Anakin Skywalker, what's yours?"

"My name is Harry Potter," Harry answered.

"How come I've never seen you around the temple before? Are you a Padawan or a Knight?" Anakin asked.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just waiting to see if I will be accepted into this so-called Jedi Order." Harry informed him.

"Oh really? Well, you'll be lucky if you do. I'm not trying to be mean or anything, but they usually only accept the younger children around the age of 4 or 5. I should know, as I was accepted late too." Anakin said.

"Yes well, if they do accept me, then I _will_ start on MY terms. Such as, being allowed to have emotions such as love or anger. If you don't have those you aren't human. Or alien, or whatever. I think its complete stupidity to say that to have emotions such as hate or love, anger or grief, are restricting to our becoming. If we are to be truly human beings, or alien beings, we must be allowed to have our feelings. It is what makes us, well, us." Harry said.

"Hey now, no need to go on the offensive, I was just saying… But now that you put it that way, it sounds like you are right. But on the other hand… It's not the Jedi way…" Anakin trailed off.

"The Jedi way is not the only way. Neither is that of the so-called Sith. Before I even came here, I had a choice. I was being controlled, yes, but I had a choice." Harry said.

Anakin slowly smiled, and said, "I think I'm going to like you, Harry Potter."

Harry smiled back and said, "I was just thinking the same about you, Anakin Skywalker."

Just then, Ki-Adi-Mundi came out and called Harry back into the Chambers.

"I want to talk to you after you're done, Harry. You look like the kind of guy that might like flying." Anakin called after him.

"How did you guess?" Harry called back.

"It was just a feeling I had. Nothing more, nothing less. Now, good luck!" and with that, Harry waved and went into the Council Chambers.

* * *

"Harry Potter, I am pleased to inform you that you have passed. Good job, you are almost a Jedi. One question though: How did you block the Council members from entering your mind?" Mace asked. 

"That's my little secret." Harry said mischievously.

Mace rolled his eyes, but continued. "You need to memorize this, and repeat it to the council before you can start your training. Do you think you can handle that?"

"It depends on what it says." was all that Harry said.

Mace nodded, and gave the paper to Harry. It read:

**There is no emotion; There is peace.**

**There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.**

**There is no passion; there is serenity.**

**There is no death; there is the Force.**

Once Harry read that, he sighed and said, "No."

Mace looked surprised, but asked, "Why not?"

Harry decided to give the same speech he gave to Anakin, only he added a little to it. "Everyone should have the right of being allowed to have emotions such as love or anger. If you don't have those you aren't human. Or alien, or whatever. I think its complete stupidity to say that to have emotions such as hate or love, anger or grief, are restricting to our becoming. If we are to be truly human beings, or alien beings, we must be allowed to have our feelings. It is what makes us, well, us. Serenity, by the way, IS emotion. Same with peace. How can you say that there is no ignorance? I have experienced people who used the Force in the way that I do, and were very ignorant of a very great evil. How is there no death? The same evil that many had been ignorant of, killed my parents. Again I say, to have no emotion, is to make us the same as robots, or as you call them, droids. They are programmed to do whatever their programmer programs them to do. I believe that your so-called 'code' is not right. It is not just. That is why I refuse to memorize and repeat this to you, the council members."

Everyone was stunned by his announcement, and Mace looked as if he was slapped in the face. Yoda however, looked very thoughtful, and then said in reply, "Agree with Harry, I do. Shown me what he believes, accept it I do. The Old Code, he shall then say." Yoda then pulled out an older, time-worn sheet of paper. On it, it said:

**There is emotion; yet there is peace.**

**There is ignorance; yet there is knowledge.**

**There is passion; yet there is serenity.**

**There is death; yet there is the Force.**

Harry looked at it for a moment. Then he closed his eyes and he repeated what was on the paper. He started glowing for a moment, then it stopped. He opened his eyes to meet the looks of the astonished faces of the Council.

"What?"

* * *

Author's Note Yes! I have a Yahoo group, and if you want to join, just go to my profile, and click the link. Thanks! Please comment, but don't flame! 

**Beggs**


	4. The Dark Abyss

Author's Note: Sorry I didn't update sooner. I had homework like crazy last week. So now… I am sorry. However, this is the longest chapter in the story to date! Yes! Over 10 pages long. Again, I do not own Star Wars or Harry Potter, only the plot, and a few spells and planets here and there…

* * *

Bloody Serpent 2- Thank you. I strive to please. 

asherbcool- Thanks. I purposely did that, but I guess I'll do a new test run just to see if more people would review if I didn't have that feature on. However, if people start to abuse it just to flame me or tell me how much I suck, I will turn the feature back on, and I won't turn it back off again.

murdrax- haha, thanks for the enthusiastic review! Yes, you're right, they had better run for the hills! Keep reviewing!

THANK YOU TO ALL OF THOSE WHO REVIEWED!

And now, on with the story…

* * *

_Last Time…_

_Harry looked at it for a moment. Then he closed his eyes and he repeated what was on the paper. He started glowing for a moment, then it stopped. He opened his eyes to meet the looks of the astonished faces of the Council._

"_What?"

* * *

_

**Chapter Four:**

**The Dark Abyss**

Harry was inwardly smiling. _Yes!_

"Harry," Yoda announced, "Your training, begin tomorrow, it will."

"Yes, sir," Harry replied, refusing to call anyone 'master'. Foul name.

"For now, rest, and relax, Padawan Potter," Mace Windu said.

_Now maybe I can finish that conversation with Anakin, _Harry thought_. Then again, I might have to wait. It looks like he has an appointment with the council too. Hey, maybe I can find Darra…_

Suddenly, he had an idea. "_Point Me _Darra," Harry said after he pulled his wand out. His wand went in a full circle for a moment in his hand. It then pointed in the direction of the Jedi Archives. _Yes!_ Harry mentally shouted, now no only knowing where Darra was, but also now knew he could use magic there. Before, he had been unsure, but now he was completely certain.

About 5 minutes later, Harry finally found Darra. She was looking in the supposed "uh-oh-spaghettioes, it's the oh-so-dark-side" Sith section of the Archives. He decided to sneak up on her, trying to surprise her. He moved almost silently, until he was right behind her. Then he said the word that little children liked to imitate ghosts with.

"Boo!" Harry said in her ear.

"Argh!" Darra jumped, earning herself a glare from the Archive Keeper. "What are you doing here?" Darra hissed.

"Just felt like saying hi," Harry said airily. "The real question is, what are **YOU** doing in the Sith section of the Archives? Surely the Jedi Masters wouldn't have you research the **SITH** of all things."

Darra looked slightly embarrassed, but then said, "Just finding out some information on the first Sith." Darra seemed to think that that part of the conversation was over, but Harry was slightly interested in finding out more about what she had been reading. So, Harry used a type of Legilimency that he himself had developed. Nobody had detected it yet.

What Harry saw in Darra's head was amazing. He first went to an area of her mind that stored the information about the Sith. _Hm…_ Harry thought, _Very interesting_.

"I see you've been wanting to go to Yavin 4… I myself have planned a trip there, so maybe you could assist me…" Harry said.

Darra looked surprised what he said, and wondered how he knew. He wasn't a Jedi Knight or Master so… How did he know?

Harry laughed, and said, "You're right; I'm not a Jedi Knight OR a Master. I'm just a padawan…" the last part he said rather bitterly, as if he didn't like having a "master". "As for you last question, it's nothing the Jedi or the Sith could **EVER** be able to teach you."

Darra opened her mouth, and then closed it. _Hm…_ Darra thought. _I could like him yet._

Harry saw this last thought, and smiled inwardly. _Yes, I am VERY glad for my choice of friends.

* * *

_

"Anakin- HEY ANAKIN!" Harry yelled when he saw Anakin walking down the hall. Anakin turned, and for a second, Harry caught a haunted look in his eyes, before disappeared.

"Hey Harry," Anakin said enthusiastically. "Did you get accepted by the Council on your terms, just like you wanted?"

"You bet! I've got someone named Yoda as my… tutor." Harry said. "Now, what about those flying lessons? If you don't mind, I'd like to learn how to fly one of those Starfighters the Jedi use."

"Of course I don't mind. If you want, we can start right now." Anakin said evenly.

"Alright, let's go!" Harry nearly yelled.

* * *

_About a Half an Hour Later…_

"Wow Harry, you truly are a natural at this," Anakin said, clearly amazed.

"Hey thanks. Do you know anything about the moon Yavin 4?" Harry asked innocently.

"Only that that's were the Sith was located. And lead by Exar Kunn three millennia ago. Of course, there were earlier Sith, but Exar was the big one on Yavin 4." At this, Anakin lowered his voice. "I have read a few Sith Archives, and there seems to be some kind of cryptic message in each of them. They each make it sound like Exar Kunn **STILL** leads the Sith.But that's supposed to be impossible! He lived nearly 3,000 years ago… But still…It's almost as if he is a ghost, or left a memory of himself somehow…

_Hm…_ Harry thought,_ sounds a little like a horcrux…_

"Well, I must thank you for your time. Myself and Darra were going to go to Yavin 4, and I was wondering if you would like to go as well." Harry asked.

Anakin was surprised at being both invited to go, and learning of Harry going to Yavin 4, but answered, "I'm sorry, but I can't go. My mission at the present time is to protect Senator Amidala. I am really sorry Harry. I probably would have liked to go."

"It's okay, Anakin. We will have to talk again soon, but for now, I must prepare for Yavin. Farewell, and as the Jedi say: 'May the Force Be With You'." Harry said, bidding him farewell.

"Goodbye, Harry, and May the Force Be With You. Heaven knows you will be needing it…" Anakin said, the last part mostly to himself.

* * *

_A Few Hours Later…_

"Darra, I think we are getting close. While we are here, I think I am going to build my light saber. Then I will meet this supposed 'First Sith Lord' Exar Kunn."

"Harry, no matter what you do, always remember that I am right here beside you all the way." Darra told him.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, until…

"Wow," breathed Darra.

"That sure is some temple," Harry agreed.

…They had found the ancient temple of Exar Kunn.

"Well, Harry said, "Let's go have a look around." Then Harry and Darra separated.

Harry started to walk inside the temple. After walking in the halls for nearly 10 minutes, he noticed there seemed to be some kind of magical signature on the wall, only that it was different. It wasn't… magic, exactly. It was more like… Some sinister use for what they called the "Force". He couldn't describe it. Suddenly, the wall opened, and Harry saw an altar of some kind.

He also saw light saber crystals scattered across the top of the altar. He walked up to the altar, and pulled his wand out. He checked for any kinds of wards, magical or not. He knew that at least two were there- one for getting rid of trespassers, except for a Sith, and the other one was a kind of blood ward, allowing no one but Exar Kunn himself to reach the altar alive. After about 5 minutes, he had broken both wards, and grabbed a black crystal. It was then that an unbidden voice came into his head stating:

… _His sword as black as night…_

… Then-

"It's rude to take things that don't belong to you, you know." A mysterious figure behind him said.

Harry wheeled around. "But it is interesting to see that you actually reached the crystals. Many have tried, you see. Until now, all had failed. How did you do it?" the figure asked.

"That's for me to know, and for you to never find out. Now, what is you name?" Harry asked.

"My name… It is the very reason many come to Yavin 4… My name is Exar Kunn.

"YOU are Exar Kunn? If you truly are, then you must know the reason I am here correct?" Harry asked.

"Of course," Exar said. "You have come to partake of my knowledge, and build a weapon of light– and one of darkness."

Harry nodded. "First, you will need to build your light saber, or light staff." Exar explained. "A light saber only uses one side of the weapon, while a light staff uses two."

"What if I made a light staff so that if I wanted, the light staff would be able to break apart, making two light sabers, then be able to re-attach to each other, making the light staff again? Is that even possible?" Harry wondered aloud.

"I am sure it is." Exar said. "I will provide the parts, but you must make it yourself. If you want, you can begin now…"

* * *

_3 Hours Later…_

"Good job, Harry, you have created a light weapon. The color is most interesting… I do not believe I have every seen a light weapon with the shade of black before… Tell me, have you ever heard the prophecy of the Grey One? Exar asked, almost excitedly.

"I don't think so," Harry said.

"Well, then, now, if you don't mind, I wish to give you one last test. If you are who I think you are… You should have no problem with this… If you survive, I will tell you the prophecy…" Exar smiled, snapped his fingers and disappeared.

Suddenly, the floor started to shift apart, while something was rising up from the center of the floor. Then snakes started to slither out of the holes in the walls. _Uh-oh, let's just hope these snakes are friendly…_ It was then he saw a rather poisonous-looking snake wrapped all around a person tied to the sculpture that was rising up out of the floor. "Darra!" Harry shouted.

Harry saw the snake suddenly look at him rather hungrily, so he told it in parseltounge to "Keep wishing, snakey".

The snake was definitely surprised. "You ssspeak our language?" the snake hissed in surprise.

"Of courssse I do. What, haven't you ssseen a perssson ssspeak sssnake language before?" Harry hissed back.

The snake shook its head, clearly still amazed. Harry saw its hesitation, and took advantage of it. "What kind of sssnake are you? I've ssseen a lot of sssnakesss, but never one sssuch asss you ssself." Harry hissed respectfully.

The snake itself was a magnificent creature. It was a jet black color, having two large wings that were used for soaring into the skies.

"Would you pleassse let my friend go? Ssshe looksss like ssshe is about to passss out." Harry hissed to the snake.

"Wha- oh yesss oh courssse, Sssnake Talker." The snake hissed.

Then the snake hissed to all of the other snakes to go back to their homes, their work there was done.

"Good, good, you are indeed the one I thought you were." Exar said, suddenly appearing.

"AHH! Dang it, Exar, MUST you surprise me like that?" Harry yelled.

"Yes, I must. Partly for you to be ready for anything, and the other part for my own personal enjoyment." Exar said smiling.

"Whatever. Okay, so now that I have finished everything here, I think I'll need to get back to Coruscant…" Harry started to say.

"Yes, but before you go, you must take this with you…" Exar said as he reached out and grabbed Harry's arm.

Harry suddenly saw what seemed like a millennia or two of memories. Then it all ended. He suddenly knew what his purpose here was. It was to purify the ranks of the Sith, and change rules in the Jedi. He knew this now, and he had to get rid of this Sidious. He stood in his way of making peace among the beings… He now knew this prophecy as well.

"Now you may go. And sometime soon, try to search someone out named Darth Sidious. I will inform him you will be searching. Farewell, keeper of the Light and Dark." Exar told him.

And with that, Harry and Darra walked out of the temple and made their way back to their starfighters.

* * *

The next day, Harry got up early in the morning and meditated. He concentrated on all of the knowledge that Exar Kunn had given him the day before. He saw light "weapon" (as Exar had called it) techniques that looked like they were exclusively created by the Sith. 

This went on for a few more hours, until he decided to get up and go meet with Yoda. He walked to Yoda's private chambers, and felt around in the Force, to check if Yoda was in there, and if he was, if he was sleeping or meditating. Yoda was in there, doing nothing, so Harry knocked on his door.

Yoda opened the door and welcomed Harry in. "Come early you have, Harry. Come for what reason?" Yoda asked.

Harry answered, "I was wondering if you would be willing to teach me about the light side of the Force?"

"Need a light saber, you do," Yoda said. Then he spied the light staff on Harry's belt. "One you already have, I see." Yoda said smartly. "Start then, we shall."

Harry nodded, waited for Yoda to continue. "Light saber techniques, start on first we shall." Yoda said.

_A few hours later…_

"Genius you are, when comes to light sabers." Yoda exclaimed excitedly.

"Thank you sir," Harry replied.

"Free to go, you are. One more thing, a mission I have to give you. To an unknown planet, go to you will." Yoda said to Harry.

"Okay Yoda, I will. This should be fun. If there is already no name for it, can I name it?" Harry asked.

Yoda smiled and nodded.

"YES!" Harry yelled in triumph.

* * *

_Well, it certainly looks friendly enough, all red and gold and white._ Harry thought. 

Harry landed about 5 minutes later, and hopped out of his starfighter. Suddenly he heard a burst of song that sounded awfully familiar…

Then a gold and crimson bird appeared in a flash of red fire, near his shoulder. A bird that looked awfully like…

"Fawkes! Is that you?" Harry asked the bird.

The bird looked at him intently, and Harry then knew it was. Fawkes seemed to be telling him to wait for a few moments, and someone he once knew would be there soon. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of white light, and Harry saw the most beautiful and magnificent creature he had ever seen.

It was a White Phoenix.

And it seemed to know him. It started at him, and then it suddenly lifted off onto its wings and flew straight toward him. The Phoenix landed on his shoulder, and broke into his mind, speaking to him.

_Harry, it has been too long. How I've missed you… _the Phoenix told him in his head. _What's your name? You are a truly magnificent creature._ Harry asked it. The Phoenix seemed slightly offended, but then answered, _Do you not recognize your first (And I hope only) owl?_

Harry gasped. "Hedwig?"

The bird nodded, and Harry hugged it. "I've missed you Hedwig… Ever since you died, I thought I would never see you again… You were my first friend…" Harry said to it softly. "It was then I decided to try to make a spell to reverse the affects of _Avada Kedavra_… So far, I have failed…"

Hedwig then looked at him straight in the eye, and told him the answer that he needed to complete the spell. "Pure Love".

Harry looked extremely happy, and hugged the bird again. "Of course… _Avada Kedavra _is used by pure hate… It would only make sense for the opposite to be used by pure love… hm… maybe I should test this out… _Purus Amor!_" Harry shouted, pointing to a bug that he had smashed earlier on accident.

Then, the body seemed to form back together, and the bug seemed to retrieve life. It worked! _Hm… it looks as if it works on the recently dead, but what about the long dead?_ Harry looked around, and finally spotted a pile of bones (of what, he certainly didn't want to know) and used the spell on the bones.

It didn't work.

Harry's hopes were crushed. He thought he might be able to use the spell to bring back people in his life, like Dumbledore and Sirius. Even some of his friends that died in the war against Voldemort.

Hedwig let out a comforting trill.

"Thanks Hedwig. Now, would you like to come with me? It is entirely your choice." Harry told Hedwig.

Hedwig looked like Christmas had come early, and made a soft trill in agreement.

"Could you transport me to my… _our_ home?" Harry asked.

Hedwig looked at him, and nodded. It grabbed him, and they were gone in a flash of white light.

When they reappeared, they were definitely **NOT** at his home in the Jedi Temple. He could not for the life of him figure out were he was. He looked at Hedwig quizzically, and she looked at him innocently.

_Hm…_ Harry thought, _where am I?_ "Hedwig, where are we?" Harry asked her. Then it dawned on him. "Hedwig, did you take me to the last place that was **_OUR_** home, before you died?" Harry asked her again.

Hedwig nodded at him. Harry just fainted. His last thought before he went completely out was, _Oh no, we're back on Privet Drive.

* * *

_

Author's Note: I know that the ending was a little bit of a twist, but I thought it was okay.

Okay, translations:

Purus- Pure

Amor- Love

So in other words, Purus Amor, the life spell, can only be used with Pure Love. That simple. The Killing Curse, is used for pure hate, so… why not? Comment me please, but don't Flame. Constructive Critisim is good as well. Just don't go into a "Let's all give the author crap because the author did something we don't like" mode. I promise this to you though, Harry will be back in the SW Universe soon enough. Well, until next time-

**Beggs**


	5. Return of the BoyWhoLived

Author's Note: This chapter will show a slightly darker side of Harry. If you are offended by extreme violence, like the killing of a Dark Lord by way of Lightsaber to his throat, or killing henchmen, then I suggest you skip the parts that are about that.

* * *

_Hedwig looked like Christmas had come early, and made a soft trill in agreement._

_"Could you transport me to my… our home?" Harry asked._

_Hedwig looked at him, and nodded. It grabbed him, and they were gone in a flash of white light._

_When they reappeared, they were definitely **NOT** at his home in the Jedi Temple. He could not for the life of him figure out were he was. He looked at Hedwig quizzically, and she looked at him innocently._

_**Hm…** Harry thought, **where the heck am I?** "Hedwig, where are we?" Harry asked her. Then it dawned on him. "Hedwig, did you take me to the last place that was **OUR** home, before you died?" Harry asked her again._

_Hedwig nodded at him. Harry just fainted. His last thought before he went completely out was, **Oh no, we're back on Privet Drive.

* * *

**_

**Chapter Five:**

**Return of the Boy-Who-Lived

* * *

**

When Harry woke up, he found himself surrounded by a small crowd of people, along with 2 paramedics checking him out.

"Are you alright there, son?" the paramedic asked him.

"What happened?" Harry asked, still a little groggy from fainting.

"It looks like you passed out, on the sidewalk, there," the second paramedic told him. "But now we are going to ask you a few questions about yourself, so we can tell if you are okay or not. Is that alright?"

Harry nodded his consent, and the first paramedic, whose name happened to be Joseph Brigand, (simply for the sake of convenience) start asking the questions. "Okay, first off, what is your full name?"

Harry hesitated for a second, but then said, "Harry James Potter."

"Okay, when were you born?" the other paramedic (named Bridget Jones by the way) asked.

"1980," Harry told them.

The paramedics both looked a little shocked, and Harry asked, "What year is it by the way?"

Joseph, or Joe, said to him, "The full date is August 5th, 2017,"

"I'm thirty-seven?" Harry whispered to himself, horrified. _It's been twenty years?_

Bridget, who seemed to still be rather disturbed, then said, "Okay, one last question, what is your address?"

Harry stood up, looked around him, to see where he was, and then pointed to…

"_Number 4, Privet Drive???_ You live there? That house has been abandoned for years, though there seems to be a lot of tourists that seem to just come out of thin air, that come to look at it," one of the residents said out loud.

"Um… yes, well… Do any of you know someone named Dudley Dursley?" Harry asked.

A few people nodded that they did, and Harry responded by saying, "Yes, well, I'm related to him, by way of his mother, and my aunt," Then addressing Joe and Bridget, he said, "Well, it has been nice talking to you all, but now I must leave. I am feeling rather well now, so goodbye."

Then he called out to Hedwig, and walked rather fast until he was behind the corner, as everyone was in shock that he had just upped and left. As soon as he was sure nobody could see him. Then asked Hedwig, "Could you take me to Hogwarts, Entrance Hall? I want to see what has become of it while I have been gone for these last twenty years, Earth time, that is,"

Hedwig nodded at him, and Harry grabbed onto her tail. They were gone in a flash of light, and suddenly, they were standing in the middle of the Entrance Hall, looking as it did before that final battle between him and Voldemort. And, it seemed that he had just landed right in the middle of a crowd, during their passing period. Soon, pandemonium broke out, after seeing a bright flash of light and someone appearing right after it. However, soon the Headmaster had the crowd under control, and he (Harry) was standing in the center of the Entrance Hall, with students surrounding him, like one would to watch a fight at a school.

Harry glanced at the Headmaster, and then had to make a double-take. He could not believe his eyes.

_Neville Longbottom?

* * *

_

He was speechless, and then the Headmaster spoke to him. "Who are you and what are you doing here in the Entrance Hall? Are you apart of the Dark Mercenaries?"

"Neville, is that you?" Harry asked weakly.

"Answer my question, stranger." Neville said.

"Neville, it's me, Harry… you're old classmate…" Harry said looking up at him.

"That's a lie, I know for a fact that Harry Potter was killed in the final battle against Voldemort. He sacrificed himself to save the Wizarding world." Neville said, apparently very angry.

"Oh yeah, Neville, was a body ever found?" Harry asked, challengingly.

"No but…" Neville started, but Harry cut him off.

"Exactly. That's because I didn't die." Harry said.

Neville was still unsure, but it really couldn't hurt to try…

"Harry, is that really you?" Neville asked, clearly unable to withstand much more of this.

"No, Neville, its Santa Claus in disguise. YES IT IS NEVILLE!" Harry shouted.

Neville, looked extremely overjoyed for a second, then said, "Follow me."

Harry nodded okay, and followed Neville up to the Headmaster's office.

"Trevor the Toad," Neville announced to the gargoyle, which leaped aside right away.

Once in Neville's office, Harry asked Neville once again what the Dark Mercenaries were.

"Where have you been the last 20 years Harry? The Dark Mercenaries are actually run by a so-called Dark Lord, who actually is Lucius Malfoy, and are a group devoted to wiping out muggles, muggleborns, half-bloods, and squibs. They're idea is that only purebloods should be allowed to live." Neville told him.

"Hm… don't worry, they won't be much of a problem after I teach them about messing with things they don't understand. Such as why _everyone_ was born, not just purebloods." Catching the look on Neville's face, he (Harry) said, "Don't worry, I have training that almost nobody on this planet has ever had, or will have. I must go now, Neville, but I will return, and when I do, you can announce to the entire world that this new 'Dark Lord' is dead, and will never come back."

Harry then turned, and said, "Hedwig, would you take me directly to Lucius Malfoy?" Then he conjured up a long, dark, and imposing robe, and put it on, ready to scare the crap out of one Lucius Malfoy. Just one last thing to do before he left… "_Vocis Diabolus_"

"Alright Hedwig, I'm ready now, will you take me to Lucius Malfoy, wherever he is?" Harry said in his new, and very scary demonic voice.

Hedwig nodded, and in another bright flash, they were gone.

* * *

Lucius was getting very impatient, and was getting very annoyed. How long did it really take to steal very Dark magic that was written by Salazar Slytherin himself? Of course, then there was the problem of it being written in Parseltounge… _Ah well, beggars can't be choosers, _he supposed.

Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light, and a figure with a long, dark, and imposing robe appeared in the middle of his chamber.

"Who are you, and what are you doing in my chambers?" Lucius, or rather, Dark Lord Evigudødelighet (which means eternal immortality in Norwegian) demanded angrily. Without waiting for an answer, he threw _Avada Kedavra_ at the stranger. Suddenly, the stranger pulled out a strange bar of black light, and absorbed the attack.

The Dark Lord was in shock. _How did he do that?_

The strange man laughed, as if he could read Lucius's thoughts.

"Lucius, I would have thought you knew better than to attack your superiors. I am very disappointed in you." The man, no wait-_ thing_ said in his creepy demonic voice.

"Master, is that you?" Lucius asked, almost afraid that the answer would be yes.

The thing just laughed, then, it moved so quickly that Lucius didn't see him move. All he knew was that the thing was over by the farthest wall one second, then standing directly in front of him the next.

"No you idiotic fool, I am one you should fear more, as I am the one who killed him." The thing said.

"Impossible, Harry Potter killed him!" Lord Evigudødelighet exclaimed.

"Exactly." The thing told him. "Now tell me, are you really as your name suggests, eternally immortal? I think we should find out, now shouldn't we?"

The thing, now identified as Harry Potter, again pulled out his light bar, (as Lord Evigudødelighet called it) and stuck the metal part directly on his throat. Harry Potter then said to him, "Sayonara, Lord-Loser," He (Harry) then turned the power button "ON". Evigudødelighet was dead before he could even scream. Harry then cut of his head and placed it next to him. Then he wrapped it in a paper bag he had picked up earlier from the paramedics.

He then called out to Hedwig. "Hedwig, would you please take this and my note telling Neville that this self-proclaimed Dark Lord Evigudødelighet is dead, and that he doesn't have to worry about him anymore? Thank you."

Soon, Harry called all of the Dark Mercenaries, by using the tattoo on Malfoy's body, then he killed each and everyone of them, making sure that none of them would be able to go on to become another Dark Lord wannabe. On a brighter note, he had gotten a book written by Salazar Slytherin himself from these _henchmen_.

He then called Hedwig back to him, and told her that he wanted to go back to the World of the Phoenix's. Hedwig studied him for a moment, then nodded.

They disappeared in a bright flash of light, and was never seen or heard from any of the people there in that time frame ever again.

* * *

A few days after he and Harry had had their little conversation about Exar Kunn, Anakin was assigned to go with Padme to her home planet of Naboo, and Obi-Wan went to Kamino because he wanted to find out more about that poison dart that that other bounty hunter had shot at the changeling to shut her up… permanently. If Anakin thought about it, he wanted to too, but his obligation to Padme kept him with her on Naboo.

But for now, he was with Padme, and that was all that mattered. At that very moment, Anakin and Padme were at a cottage in the Lake Country. And they were looking out towards the island in the middle of the lake.

"I love the water," Padme said dreamily.

"I do too," Anakin said, looking down at her. "I guess it comes from growing up on a desert planet."

Padme gave him a sidelong look, then dropped her eyes to the lake once more. "We used to lie on the sand and let the sun dry us, and try to guess the names of the birds singing."

"I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere. Not like here. Here everything is sort… and smooth." Without thinking, he touched her arm.

Padme gave him another nervous glance and waved at the lake, pulling her arm away as if by accident. "There was a very old man who lived on the island," she said. "He used to make glass out of sand. And vases and necklaces out of the glass." She smiled, and looked up at him as if to share her memories. "They were magical."

"Everything here is magical," Anakin said, staring down into her eyes. She had the most beautiful brown eyes…

"You could look into the glass and see the water. The way it ripples and moves," Padme went on. She lowered her eyes. "It looked so real… but it wasn't."

"Sometimes, when you believe something to be real, it becomes real." Anakin said.

"I used to think that if you looked too deeply into the glass you would lose yourself," Padme said softly. But she didn't seem to be talking about the glass anymore.

"I think it's true," Anakin said. He felt warm, and he couldn't look away from Padme. He didn't want to look away. He wanted to be here, with her, forever. He bent forward and kissed her.

* * *

Lama Su and Taun We began Obi-Wan's tour with the replication area where racks of embryos were growing in fluid-filled glass balls. "Very impressive," Obi-Wan said.

"I'd hoped you would be pleased," Lama Su said, smiling. "Clones _can_ think creatively. You'll find that they are immensely superior to droids."

_You may be manufacturing them, but they're people, not droids._ Obi-Wan could feel the living Force in each of the clones, just as it existed in every other living thing. But he kept his face calm as they went on to an ordinary classroom filled with boys about ten years old. Except that these boys had identical faces below the exact same black, curly hair.

"You mentioned growth acceleration," Obi-Wan said in a neutral tone.

Oh, yes," Lama Su said earnestly. "It's essential. Otherwise, a mature clone would take a lifetime to grow. Now we can do it in half the time."

Obi-Wan stared at the boys. "These?"

"Were started about five years ago," Lama Su replied, obviously pleased by Obi-Wan's surprise.

Their next stop was the eating area. Hundreds of identical young men sat at long tables. Again, Obi-Wan saw the same dark hair, the same strong features. Even their expressions were the same.

"You'll find they are totally obedient, taking any order without question," Lama Su said. "We modified their genetic structure to make them less independent than the original host."

"Who _was _the original host?" Obi-Wan asked, hoping the question sounded casual.

"A bounty hunter called Jango Fett," Lama Su answered readily. "We felt a Jedi would be the perfect choice, but Sifo-Dyas handpicked Jango Fett himself."

* * *

Anakin was having another dream which involved his mother, were she was being tortured. He woke up, and decided to go outside and meditate, to take his mind off of his mother. A short while later, Padme came outside and saw Anakin meditating, and turned to leave.

"Don't leave, your presence is soothing," Anakin said, not moving.

_That's nice,_ Padme thought. _But I don't think I can just stand here and be soothing for very long._ "You had another nightmare last night," she said after a moment.

"Jedi don't have nightmares," Anakin said bitterly.

"I heard you."

Anakin opened his eyes, and looked at her, and she could see all of the torment he was feeling.

"I saw my mother. I saw her as clearly as I see you now." He swallowed hard. "She's suffering, Padme. They're killing her! She is in pain…"

Stunned by the conviction in his voice, Padme said nothing as Anakin rose to his feet. He closed his eyes again for a moment, as if he could not quite bear to look at her. Then he opened them and said miserably, "I know I'm disobeying my mandate to protect you, Senator. I know I will be punished, and possibly thrown out of the Jedi Order. But I have to go. I have to help her." He looked down. "I'm sorry, Padme," he finished barely above a whisper. "I don't have a choice."

Padme was struggling within herself, but finally said, "I'll go with you."

Anakin looked at her as if he could not make sense of what she had just said. Padme held his eyes and continued, "That way, you can continue to protect me, and you won't be disobeying your mandate."

She still wasn't completely sure he had understood, until he took a deep breath and said, "What about Master Obi-Wan?"

Padme sighed in relief; it was so good to see hope and determination take place of his misery. A tiny part of her was frightened by the idea of having so much power over someone- a word or two was all it had taken to restore Anakin's confidence and good humor. Only a word or two, from her. She brushed the thought aside and smiled. Taking Anakin's hand, she said, "I guess we won't tell him, will we?"

* * *

Harry and Hedwig were back on Coruscant, giving a report back to the Jedi Council.

"A magnificent bird, you have, Padawan Harry." Yoda said.

"Thank you, Jedi Master Yoda. This is Hedwig. She is a Phoenix." Harry explained.

"A what? I do not believe I have ever heard of one of those before." Mace Windu said.

"I thought not. I think that they only go to those who have been pure all of there lives, as in fighting against evil, even when evil seems the only way to go, or to die." As he said this he looked over to Hedwig, and she nodded that he was correct. "Well, I guess I was right then. And you cannot just make a phoenix bond to you, they must come to you first." Harry told the council.

"Name of the planet, called it what did you?" Yoda asked, for they were getting to the part of the actual mission.

"I have named it Phoenixia, seeing as the Phoenixes live there. I also believe there are a few protections on it, like only a few people can go in or out. Does that answer your question?" Harry answered.

"What were you doing while on that planet, Harry?" Mace asked him.

"Well, I actually was trying to go home by way of Hedwig here, but I guess she got the wrong idea, and transported me back to my home planet, Earth. I got rid of their 'Dark Lord' who was really just a stupid wannabe Evil King guy, like the previous guy before him, Lord Voldemort. After 'disposing' of this dark lord and all of his cronies, I told Hedwig exactly where I wanted to go, just in case she got 'confused' again." Harry explained.

The council just sat there for a few moments, then told him to wait outside. So Harry stepped outside and waited. He wondered what they were doing, so he decided to play a little mind trick with them, and listen in through the 'back door' in each of their minds that he had implanted the first time he had met each of them. This time, he entered Mace's mind.

"…I think he should be tested for Knightship, at the very least." Ki-Adi-Mundi announced.

"Let's let Master Yoda decide, for not only is he Padawan Potter's master, but he is also the senior member of the Jedi Council." The Zabrak leader said.

Then there was silence. Harry quickly slid out of Mace's mind, before he was caught, because he realized that each member was putting up their strongest shields. Then…

"Harry, would you come back in please?" Another council member asked. Harry stepped inside. Yoda spoke up. "Harry Potter, decided the council has. Put through trials, you shall be.

* * *

The council members disappeared from Harry's vision, and he was back at Hogwarts. Harry was confused for a little bit, then he turned around and stopped. He had just seen his dead best friend walking up the steps of Hogwarts. _Ron?_

As if 'Ron' had heard his thoughts, he turned and caught sight of Harry and waved. "Harry if you don't come soon, we'll be late for Snape's class, and you know how he is," a feminine voice to his right told him. Harry turned his head, and saw another one of his dead best friends, Hermione Granger.

"Wha- who are you, and why are you doing this?" Harry said accusingly.

"What are you talking about Harry? It's me, Hermione. Honestly, sometimes you're thicker than Ron is," Hermione said impatiently, and walked off.

Harry stared, then came to his senses and ran up to the castle.

As soon as he walked into the familiar dark dungeons, a silky voice said, "So, Potter has decided to come to class has he?"

Harry looked over and saw his most hated Professor. Harry glared. "Yes sir, but I don't know why I even bother, its not like you even teach anything,"

Snape glared and said, "Detention, and 30 points from Gryffindor. Anymore smart talk, and you'll find yourself losing more. Is that clear?"

Harry glared.

"Potter, the Headmaster would like to see you now, so pack your things, NOW!" Snape suddenly said after 30 minutes of Potions.

"Fine," Harry said, packing up his things. As soon as he touched his quill though, he felt a familiar tug around his navel, and was whisked away.

"Potter, welcome to my… Celebration one could call it," a cold voice said.

Harry's blood froze. He knew that voice…

Voldemort got up from his throne, and pointed his wand at Harry. "_Crucio,_"

Harry writhed under the curse for a few seconds before the curse was lifted.

"Voldemort, I thought you were dead," Harry said panting.

Voldemort looked disturbed for a minute. "Are you messed up in the head Potter, I never died! You have to be…" But what Harry was exactly, he never found out, because he repeated the spell that he used to defeat Voldemort the first time, and Voldemort was dead. Again.

The scenery faded from view, and the Council members appeared again, smiling. Yoda was the first to speak. "Grant you the position of Knight, the council does."

Harry was speechless. He couldn't believe it. _Yes! I can't wait to be able to tell Anakin and Darra!

* * *

_

On Tatooine, Anakin returned to his step-father's house with his mother's body. After the funeral, Anakin and Padme left Tatooine to go to Geonosis, after passing Obi-Wan's message on to the council. Time to save Obi-Wan from those Trade Federation freaks.

* * *

_A few weeks before…_

Count Dooku was talking with his master on Coruscant, and was told to move all of the Separatist leaders to Geonosis. His master would make sure that they would be found, and soon, the Galaxy would be theirs.

"Now go, Darth Tyrannus, and continue to use the separatists to create a civil war. Soon, I shall rule the galaxy, with my apprentice by my side!"

"Yes master," Count Dooku said, and exited.

_Soon,_ Darth Sidious thought,_ I will have complete control of the Senate, and I will have a new, far younger apprentice. Soon…

* * *

_

_In the Present…_

"Where the heck is my soda?" a cloaked man yelled to Dex, the owner of the restaurant.

* * *

Author's Note: Hello, Yes! Another Chapter is done! Hooray! Okay, What will happen next? If you guys could think of some stuff, and put them in your reviews. Don't worry, I'm not running out of ideas, but I might use some of you're ideas if you put them there so. Alright, Read and Review Folks! No Flames please! Oh yes, one more thing, the cloaked man at the end of the chapter is actually going to be an important character, so don't just wave him off as a random person with no importance to the plot.

**Beggs**


	6. New War, Old Faces

Author's Note: As always, I own nothing except for the plot and a few spells and people here and there. Again, in this chapter, there are darker themes, especially in the second half of this chapter, towards the end. If you don't think that Harry should be doing these kinds of things, I'm sorry, but this is how my story is for right now, but it might change eventually. Longest Chapter yet! 14 pages long and counting.

* * *

_Previously…_

_"Harry, would you come back in please?" Another council member asked. Harry stepped inside. Yoda spoke up. "Harry Potter, decided the council has. Put through trials, you won't be, for defeating a Dark Lord you have. Grant you the position of Knight, the council does."_

_Harry was speechless. He couldn't believe it._ **_Yes! I can't wait to be able to tell Anakin and Darra!_**

_On Tatooine, Anakin returned to his step-father's house with his mother's body. After the funeral, Anakin and Padme left Tatooine to go to Geonosis, after passing Obi-Wan's message on to the council. Time to save Obi-Wan from those Trade Federation freaks._

_**A few weeks before…**_

_Count Dooku was talking with his master on Coruscant, and was told to move all of the Separatist leaders to Geonosis. His master would make sure that they would be found, and soon, the Galaxy would be theirs._

_"Now go, Darth Tyrannus, and continue to use the separatists to create a civil war. Soon, I shall rule the galaxy, with my apprentice by my side!"_

_"Yes master," Count Dooku said, and exited._

**_Soon,_** _Darth Sidious thought, **I will meet up with this Darth Lightning, that Lord Kunn told me about. Soon…**_

_**In the Present…**_

_"Where the heck is my soda?" some random guy yelled to Dex, the owner of the restaurant.

* * *

_

**Chapter Six:**

**New War, Old Faces

* * *

**

"It's coming, it's coming, jeez, keep your shirt on." Dex yelled back.

"While you're at it, maybe you could get yourself one too; I want to talk to you about something…" The "random guy" said.

_Hm, I wonder what about…_ Dex thought to himself.

"Alright, I'll be right there." Dex told the guy.

The random guy's appearance was a little different, but it wasn't something he hadn't seen before. This guy had brown hair, and his clothing was a little shabby, but it didn't really matter. His hair was starting to grey, and it looked like he had been in a really bad fight recently. He really looked like he needed a shave, and a haircut, but didn't have enough money.

"Alright, so what can I do for you, stranger?" Dex asked this man.

"I would like to have some information about… Harry Potter. I believe he was last seen around this area?" the man asked.

"What would you like to know? He only got here about maybe… 2 or 3 months ago, I believe. It's kinda hard to get information about someone you barely even know, don't you think?" Dex asked. He didn't realize the man slipped something in his drink right before then. "By the way, what's your name, mister?"

"My name… My name has no consequence to you whatsoever, but… I will tell you anyway. My name… is Lupin." The man told him. "But now, do you know of his whereabouts right now?"

"I think he is up at the Jedi Temple at the moment. He just got upped to Knightship, I think. Why?" Dex asked "Lupin".

"This is my reason… _Obliviate!_" "Lupin" said pointing a long, brown stick at Dex. "Thank you for the soda, I really needed it. Good-bye."

Dex just nodded, his eyes still oddly empty, then returning to normal after a few minutes. "Alright, what are you staring at? Get back to work!" Dex told his droid workers.

* * *

"Hey, Mace, do you know where I could find Anakin?" Harry asked Mace after the meeting. "I want to tell him something."

"He was supposed to be on Naboo, but right now he should be on Tatooine, his home planet." Mace told him.

"Thanks, Mace, see you later!" Harry said to him, running off.

_Kids… You never know what to expect…_ Mace thought to himself.

"Hey Darra!" Harry said into Darra's ear, really loudly. "Guess what?"

"What now, Harry? And don't scare me like that!" Darra scolded him.

"I got Knightship!" Harry said excitedly.

"You WHAT? Oh my gosh, Harry, Congratulations!" Darra screamed, and hugged him.

"I know, isn't it exciting?" Harry said. "I want to tell Anakin as well, he would want to know too."

"Isn't he on Naboo right now? I thought he was protecting the Senator from Naboo." Darra said.

"No, he's on Tatooine, Mace told me." Harry said to her.

"I hate to break up this conversation but… Are you Harry Potter?" a man in the shadows asked him.

"Yeah, what's it to you?" Harry said venomously.

"What, don't you recognize me? I'm hurt, Harry." The man said.

"I don't know who you are, but if you don't tell me soon, I will slice you into little tiny pieces, and feedthe remains to the killer birds on D'Onjoi." Harry said.

"I see you've gotten better with your threats, but that's okay, because I've gotten a little bit colder over the years. But anyway… Don't you recognize me? I would have thought that you would have at least remembered the last Marauder." The man said.

Harry froze. _No, it can't be. He was killed. I saw it happen._ Harry thought.

"I know exactly what you're thinking. But it didn't happen like you think you saw. I was not killed, just transported to this… _galaxy_, I guess you could call it." The man said.

"Remus?" Harry asked.

"That's right Harry, it's me, Remus. How have you been? I heard from a creature named 'Dex' that you had become a Jedi Knight. Is this true?" Remus asked him.

"Yes, it is, he was just telling me all about it." Darra told Remus.

"Oh! I'm sorry; I didn't ask what your name was. How rude of me." Remus said apologetically.

"My name is Darra, and Harry here is one of my best friends." She informed him.

"Well, I'm certainly glad that Harry has finally opened up to people." Remus said happily.

"Yes, well, I still have a ways to go." Harry said. "I haven't told everything about me yet to anyone. You are the only one that knows the most about me, Remus. And that's because you were not only my Professor for a year at school, but you were one of my parents' best friends at school."

…And so the conversation would have went for the rest of the afternoon, if Harry didn't suddenly feel a chill that something was wrong with Anakin. _Oh no…

* * *

_

_Meanwhile…_

Piloting the Naboo starship to Geonosis was easy. Too easy; Anakin still felt shaken and unsure, and he wanted a job that would keep him too busy to think. Fear coiled around his heart: fear that Obi-Wan was already dead; fear that Obi-Wan was alive and would despise him when he learned what Anakin had done. It was no good telling himself that Obi-Wan was a Jedi and Jedi didn't hate. _I'm a Jedi, and I hate those Tusken Raiders…_

_Flashback_

_Tatooine hadn't changed. It was hot and dry. Anakin was surprised to find that he was a little **too** hot. Maybe he was more used to cooler worlds than he thought… But the same motley collection of shady-looking beings made their way between the same blocky, sand-colored buildings, along the same packed-wand streets. He could have walked to Watto's junk shop blindfolded._

_Yet he didn't feel… comfortable. Perhaps the problem was that he could see now how shoddy and backward this world was. He remembered how shocked Padme had been to discover he was Watto's slave; now he understood why._

_Watto hadn't changed, either. The fat little Toydarian's first reaction to seeing a Jedi Padawan was "**Whatever it is, I didn't do it!**" But he seemed pleased to see Anakin, once he recognized him, and he was willing to help._

"_**Shmi's not mine no more,**" he told Anakin. "**I sold her to a moisture farmer named Lars. I heard he freed her and married her. Can you beat that?**"_

_Watto's trunklike nose wrinkled in evident amazement that anyone would pay good money for a slave in order to turn around and free her, no matter how he felt. "**Long way from here – Someplace over on the other side of Mos Eisley.**"_

_So Anakin and Padme took the little Naboo starship they had borrowed and flew to Mos Eisley. The directions Watto had given them were easy enough to follow, and by late afternoon they were landing near a small homestead outside the city._

_They left R2-D2 with the ship and started toward the buildings. A human-shaped droid straightened up from a condenser as they approached. "**How may I be of service? I am See –**"_

"_**Threepio?**" Anakin said, grinning and noticing that the Protocol Droid he had created now had coverings._

"_**Oh, my,**" said C-3PO, cocking his head to one side. "**Oh, my maker! Master Anakin! I knew you would return.**"_

"_**I've come to see my mother,**" Anakin told him._

_C-3PO froze, as if his power had been suddenly disconnected. Anakin felt a sudden lump of fear in his throat. **Something is very wrong. I knew it.** C-3PO twitched and said, "**I think – I think – Perhaps we'd better go indoors.**"_

_Anakin followed, torn between wanting to know what had happened and being afraid to hear what it was. C-3PO led them down to the sunken courtyard and introduced Anakin to Owen Lars and his girlfriend, Beru. Owen was a stocky young man who already had the quiet, solid look of a farmer; Beru had a practical air that was enhanced by the neat blonde braids that wrapped her head._

"_**I guess I'm your stepbrother,**" Owen said. "**I had a feeling you might show up someday**."_

"_**Is my mother here?**" Anakin burst out, unable to bear wasting more time being polite._

"_**No, she's not,**" said a grim voice._

_Anakin turned. A small floating chair moved out of the main house. In it was a large older man who resembled Owen. One of his legs was wrapped in new bandages. The other leg was missing completely._

"_**Cliegg Lars**" the man said by way of introduction, extending one hand awkwardly. "**Shmi is my wife. Come on inside. We have a lot to talk about.**"_

_**Just tell me where my Mom is!** Anakin thought angrily, but he couldn't shout at a man in a float chair. So he followed Cliegg into the house, to the underground dining area. Beru served steaming cups of ardees while Cliegg began his story._

"_**It was just before dawn," **he said, his voice hoarse with emotion. "**They came out of nowhere. A hunting party of Tusken Raiders-**"_

_Anakin's mind shut off. Tatooine was controlled by the Hutt criminal organization; it was a haven for smugglers, thieves, and other lowlifes. But even on Tatooine, the Tusken Raiders were considered vicious. They tortured people for fun, and they had his mother?_

_Anakin only heard snatches more of the conversation. Then he stood up. _

_Owen asked, "**Where are you going?**"_

"_**To find my mother.**" He hardly heard Padme's protest, or Cliegg's objections. "**I can feel her pain, and I will find her.**"_

_Owen then said after a moment, "**Take my speeder bike,**" and Anakin felt a distant warmth. Owen, at least, understood._

_**Hang on, Mom. I'm coming.**_

_Later in the Flashback…_

_It was after midnight when Anakin finally parked the speeder bike at the edge of a cliff overlooking the Tusken camp. He knew it was the right place. He had felt himself drawing nearer all night, just as he could feel his mother now in one of the hide-covered huts below. **Her pain** – he forced himself to stop trembling. **I'm almost there, Mom.**_

_Pulling his hood over his head, he crept down and into the camp. The Tusken Raiders had posted two guards at the front of the hut, but Anakin had never intended to walk in through the door. Carefully, he made his way through the shadows to the back of the hut. After checking to make sure no one was near, he lit his light saber._

_The hide wall gave way quickly, and in a few moments he was inside. Moonlight fell through the smoke-hole in the roof, making it possible to see the spent candles that littered the floor, the wooden frame in the center of the hut… and the figure hanging from that frame…_

_Without conscious thought, Anakin swung his light saber, and the ropes that held her parted. Dropping the weapon, he caught her as she fell. Even in the moonlight, he could see bruises on her face and arms; her eyes were swollen almost shut, and there was blood – he couldn't look at the blood, he wouldn't see it. "**Mom,**" he said desperately. "**Mom!**"_

_His mother's eyes opened. "**Annie?**" she said in a faint, hoarse voice. "**Is it you?**"_

_Anakin chocked, feeling the pain of her injuries even more clearly now that he was holding her. **She's… she's… I have to get her home!** "**I'm here, Mom,**" he said urgently. "**You're safe. Hang on.**" **Please, please hang on!** "**I'm going to get you out of here.**"_

_But she didn't seem to hear his words. Her eyes had finally focused on his face, and her battered features relaxed in an expression of tenderness. "**Annie? You look so handsome. My son…my grown-up son.**" She gasped and went on with evident difficulty. "**I'm so proud of you, Annie. So proud.**" Her voice grew fainter; Anakin had to strain to hear the words. "**I missed you so much. Now I am… complete.**"_

"_**Just stay with me, Mom,**" Anakin begged. The icy fear was closing around his heart again. "**I'm going to make you well again. Everything's going to be fine.**" He reached for the Force as he spoke; surely he could do something that would help, that would give strength back to the life he could feel fading away between his arms. Something that would give her more time. The Force was there, but he didn't know how to use it for this._

_Shmi tried to smile and him. She whispered, "**I love…**" and went horribly, finally still._

_Anakin stared at her numbly. After a moment, he reached over and closed her eyes. **The Tusken Raiders did this. Animals, Cliegg called them – they're worse than animals. They're… they're… vicious, mindless, murdering things. I'll show them! I'll get them all!**_

_**Oh, Mom. Mom…**_

_End Flashback_

"Darra! We have to go help Anakin!" Harry yelled, as he dashed away towards his room to collect the things he would need.

_Foolish child. If I wanted to, I could have killed him right there. At least he didn't catch on to me…_ 'Remus' thought. His eyes momentarily gleamed red. He let out a high, cold laugh. _Watch out, Potter, this time you will die.

* * *

_

_How do I get myself into situations like this?_ Anakin thought, as he was surrounded. _Obi-Wan's going to kill me for breaking my light saber… Ugh._

"Don't move, Jedi!" the bounty hunter said.

_So much for rescuing Obi-Wan,_ Anakin thought bitterly. _I couldn't save my mom, either, and now I've brought Padme right to the people who've been trying to kill her. I've failed at everything._

When the Geonosians did not kill them at once, Padme's mind began working rapidly. By the time the guards led her and Anakin into a large conference room, she was calm and ready. As they entered, she saw Count Dooku sitting at a large table. The bounty hunter stood behind him, and there were Geonosian guards everywhere, even though the first thing their captors had done was to confiscate their weapons. _They certainly aren't taking any chances,_ she thought.

Before anyone else could speak, Padme stepped forward. "You are holding a Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi," she said in her best Senatorial voice. "I am formally requesting that you turn him over to me. Now."

Count Dooku studied her calmly. "He has been convicted of espionage, Senator," he said. "And he will be executed. In just a few hours, I believe." He smiled gently, as if the thought pleased him.

"He is an officer of the Republic!" Padme said, outraged. "You can't do that."

"We don't recognize the Republic here, Senator," the Count replied, and smiled again. "But… if Naboo were to join our Alliance -"

_So that was his game._ She was Naboo's official representative, and in some cases had as much power as the Queen. If she committed Naboo to the Separatists, her planet and her Queen would be bound by her decision. She listened with half an ear to the Count's smooth arguments, thinking, _I can't betray my planet and my principals, not even for Obi-Wan, not even for Anakin._ She couldn't see Anakin; he was standing behind her, and she was almost glad. She wasn't sure she could bear to look at him right now. _Oh, Anakin, I'm sorry I got you into this._

Finally, she looked at the Count and said clearly, "I will not forsake all that I have honored and worked for. I will not betray the Republic."

The Count sighed. "Then you will obey your Jedi friends? Without your cooperation, I can do nothing to stop their execution."

"And what about me?" Padme asked, raising her chin.

"There are… _individuals_ who have a strong interest in you demise, M'Lady," the Count said, stressing the word individuals. "It has nothing to do with politics; it's purely personal."

_Nute Gunray of the Trade Federation, _Padme thought. _Obi-Wan's message said he was behind the assassination attempts. He hates me because I led the successful counterattack when he invaded Naboo ten years ago._

"I'm sure they will push hard to have you included in the executions." The Count said smoothly. "Take them away."

* * *

"… It is with great reluctance that I have agreed to this," Chancellor Palpatine said. "The power you give me, I will lay down once the crisis has abated. And as my first act with this new authority, I will create a grand army of the Republic to counter the increasing threats of the Separatists."

Yoda shook his head. Mace Windu said, "It is done then. I will take with me the remaining Jedi to Geonosis, while you go to Kamino to find out more about those clones."

Yoda nodded in affirmative. _Talk to Knight Harry Potter I must. Go to Geonosis with Mace Windu he shall._

Obi-Wan leaned against the execution post in the center of the Geonosian arena and once more tested the chains that held his arms over his head. What were the Geonosians waiting for? They'd had him out here for half an hour already, and the crowd was getting restless. Not that Obi-Wan was in any particular hurry…

The crowd roared, and Obi-Wan looked up. A small cart was pulling into the arena, and when he saw its passengers, Obi-Wan sighed and closed his eyes momentarily. _I knew Anakin was going to do something else harebrained, I just knew it._

But there was no point in scolding Anakin now, and from the look of his face, there was no need to. Obi-Wan waited while the Geonosians chained Anakin to the post next to him. From the corner of his eye, he saw Padme slip something small into her mouth behind the guards' backs just before they turned and chained her to the post beside Anakin.

"I was beginning to wonder if you'd gotten my message," Obi-Wan said as the guards started out of the arena.

"I retransmitted it just as you requested, Master," Anakin said earnestly. His neck muscles twitched, as if he was trying not to look at Padme. "Then we decided to come and rescue you."

Obi-Wan glanced up at his chained hands. "Good job!"

In the stands, he saw Nute Gunray and the other trade and commercial delegates crowding into a large luxury box with the Geonosian Archduke. Count Dooku was near the front, along with his bounty hunter bodyguard. As soon as the cart left the arena, the Archduke made a formal announcement that Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padme were to be killed – as if anyone in the arena hadn't known that – and then declared loudly, "Let the executions begin!"

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

"Darra, I believe this is it. Keep your eyes and ears open. We don't want to be ambushed when we are trying to ambush _them_. If we are caught, don't be afraid to kill any of them. That is exactly what they will try to do to us, if we get caught," Harry told her.

Darra nodded that she understood, and followed Harry towards the sounds of cheering. _Oh no, I hope we're not too late…_

As is sensing her thoughts, he said, "Don't worry, we're not. I can feel that they aren't in danger… yet."

"Why is it that I don't find that quite reassuring?" Darra asked him.

"It's not my fault you don't understand the meaning of the word 'yet'. It means that they will be soon if we don't hurry. Okay? Let's go, we've wasted enough time as it is." Harry suddenly groaned. "Oh no, now they are in _BIG_ trouble. COME ON!"

* * *

The crowd roared again, even more loudly than before, and three large gates opened on the far side of the arena. From the first gate came an enormous, broad-shouldered beast with great horns. _A reek,_ Obi-Wan thought,_ Powerful, but stupid._ Through the second gate came a gigantic catlike creature with long fangs – a nexu – and the third gate disgorged an Acklay, which was a starfighter-sized lizard equipped with pincers large enough to chop a man in half. Behind each of the monsters came a horde of Geonosian picadors riding smaller beasts and carrying long spears.

The picadors prodded the three monsters toward the center of the arena. "I've got a bad feeling about this," Anakin said.

"Take the one on the right," Obi-Wan said, nodding at the reek. "I'll take the one on the left."

"What about Padme?" Anakin asked.

Obi-Wan looked past Anakin and smiled slightly. Padme had picked the lock on one of her restraints – _So that's what she was hiding from the guards! A lock pick!_ – and used the chain as a rope to climb to the top of her post. She was balanced there, alternately fiddling with the remaining handcuff and pulling at the chain to loosen it from the pillar. "She seems to be on top of things," Obi-Wan said dryly.

Startled, Anakin glanced toward Padme. Then he gave Obi-Wan a grin that held only a trace of the cockiness Obi-Wan remembered in his apprentice.

_What_ happened_ to him?_ Obi-Wan thought, and then the monsters charged.

The acklay headed straight for Obi-Wan, its pincers open wide. _Those things are near sided,_ Obi-Wan thought._ If I time this right…_ Just before the acklay reached him, he dodged behind the post.

The acklay continued its charge. Its pincer closed around the execution post, right where the Jedi should have been, and the post splintered. Obi-Wan yanked the restraining chain free and glanced quickly around.

Anakin had jumped on the reek's back and looped the chain that held him around one of the reek's horns. The reek was shaking its head and straining against the chain; it wouldn't take much longer to pull the restraints free. The nexu was trying to climb the pole to get at Padme. As Obi-Wan watched, she swung down on the chain and struck it with both feet knocking it back. _Padme can take care of herself – for a while._

The acklay finished reducing the pole to splinters. Shaking its head, it peered around as if hunting for the tasty tidbit that it knew should have been in there somewhere. It saw Obi-Wan and started forward again.

Obi-Wan ran for the edge of the arena, where the picadors with their long spears were grouped. Startled, one of the riding beasts reared. While the picador was busy trying to deal with his mount, Obi-Wan grabbed the end of his spear and jerked it out of his hands. Planting the far end, he let his momentum and the long spear carry him up and over the picador.

Close behind him, the acklay slammed into the riding beast, knocking the picador off. The Geonosian screamed once before the acklay's pincer closed around him. The other picadors scattered before the acklay's charge, but they would be back soon enough. _One thing at a time,_ Obi-Wan thought. The picador's spear wasn't much of a weapon, but it might be enough if he could hit the beast in the right place. He aimed and threw.

The spear caught the acklay in the side of its neck. The acklay screeched, dropped the picador's body, and charged. _Well, that didn't help much,_ Obi-Wan thought, ducking behind the dead picador's riding beast.

The acklay followed him, but more slowly than it had before. Obi-Wan kept ahead of it, but he couldn't widen the gap between them. Then he saw the reek coming toward him – with Anakin and Padme on its back, and the nexu bounding angrily after it. Anakin seemed to have found a way to steer the creature with the aid of the Force. Obi-Wan leaped up.

He landed behind Padme. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the nexu attack the wounded acklay. _That's two of them out of the way, for a while. If we can –_

Gates opened all around the arena, and droidekas rolled out. They circled the reek and uncoiled, activating their shields and bringing their powerful blasters to bear. The reek snorted and shook its head, turning in circles to avoid the Security Droids, but the droidekas were everywhere._ We're dead. Why haven't they started firing?_

A sudden silence fell. Obi-Wan looked up at the crowd and his eyes widened. All over the arena, blue and green light sabers flared. He glanced toward the archducal box and his jaw dropped. At this distance, he couldn't make out the features of the man in the Jedi robes standing next to Count Dooku – but he didn't have to. Only one Jedi carried a purple light saber._ Master Windu!

* * *

_

Dooku signaled surreptitiously, and his hidden droidekas poured from gates all around the arena. The crowd cheered and Nute Gunray sat back in satisfaction, but Dooku sensed only a feeling of chagrin from behind them where Jango Fett was standing. He turned to see what his bodyguard had noticed.

Mace Windu stood next to Jango, his light saber glowing a clear purple. _The noise of the crowd must have covered the sound when he ignited it,_ Dooku thought. He hid his surprise with an elegant nod of welcome. "Master Windu, how pleasant of you to join us. You're just in time for the moment of truth." He gestured at the arena. "I think these two new boys of yours could use a little more training."

Master Windu's grim expression did not change. "Sorry to disappoint you, Dooku," he said in a low, hard voice. "This party is over." He gestured, and all around the arena, light sabers blazed to life.

Dooku curled his lips in a combination of amusement and pleasure. _This is even better than I had hoped. There are over a hundred Jedi out there, plus Master Windu; we will kill them all. _"Brave, but foolish, my old Jedi friend," he said gently to Mace. "You're impossibly outnumbered."

"I don't think so," Master Windu snapped. "The Geonosians aren't warriors. One Jedi has to be worth a hundred Geonosians."

"It wasn't the Geonosians I was thinking about," Dooku said, allowing his smile to grow. "How well do you think one Jedi will hold up against a _thousand_ Battle Droids?"

Even as he spoke, the first of the new Super Battle Droids appeared in the corridor behind Mace Windu. They began firing immediately. Master Windu deflected the blasts easily, but to do so, he had to take his attention from the others in the archducal box. Immediately, Jango Fett raised his flamethrower and fired.

Master Windu dodged, but the flames caught the edge of his robe and set it on fire. As more Battle Droids flooded into the arena, he jumped over the wall to the sand below. Count Dooku shook his head at such stubborn foolish ness and settled back to enjoy the mayhem. _Yes, this will be very interesting.

* * *

_

Darra and Harry were sneaking quietly, and quickly, down the hallway that led to the Archduke's box that out looked the entire arena. Suddenly, they heard voices coming their way from the box, and both Jedi lit their weapons. Harry stepped forward and suddenly, Count Dooku spotted him. "Ah, so there are more foolish Jedi here. I thought they all were down at the fight down in the arena," Count Dooku said pleasantly.

"Hello, Count Dooku. Or should I say, Darth Tyrannus?" Harry said to him, mockingly.

This time, Count Dooku couldn't help but show is surprise, but he didn't let it show for long. "How did you know this, Master Jedi?" The count asked.

"Let's just say, I have a little business to take care of with your Master. But for now, I think I will kill, (or at least seriously injure) you." Harry said. "Let's do this," and with that, they started an intense light saber battle, while Darra was busy taking out anyone who even thought about shooting at her or Harry.

"I must say, you are quite good, for someone as young as you." Dooku said.

"So my mentor tells me." Harry said smirking.

"Mentor, why not Master. Are you not a Jedi?" Dooku asked, confused but not showing it.

"I am not just a Jedi. There is not just Light, and there is not just Dark. There are shades of Grey also, and that's exactly what I am. Tell me, have you ever heard of the one that has been named 'Keeper of the Light and Dark'?" Harry asked him.

Dooku's eye's widened.

"I see that your light saber skills are quite superb. Now, I believe you should feel another section of the force you will never have felt before. I can promise you that… _Crucio Maximus!_" Harry said, pointing his wand at Dooku.

To say that Dooku was surprised, is to say the least. He didn't know what hit him. When the deep, blood-red energy shot out of that stick, he was shocked. Just nanoseconds later, he was on the ground, screaming.

"Had enough?" Harry asked coldly, removing the curse. "I thought you might. Now, I will give you one chance, and one chance is all. Tell your Master that if he doesn't quit trying to do warfare, I will personally kill him. Get out of my sight!" Dooku was helped up by the Separatist leaders, and they hurried out of sight, but not before Harry had placed tracking charms on them.

"Harry, what did you let them go for?" Darra whined. "You should have gotten rid of them on the spot!"

"Were you not listening? I needed a message sent to this Darth Sidious," Harry said. "Plus, I put tracking charms on them that no one would be able to break." He finished smirking. "But now, let's go, we need to help with the fight out there."

* * *

Author's Note- Well, there it is. I'm sorry it took so long, I have almost no excuse. I am sorry. Okay, hopefully the next chapter will be very soon. Alright! R&R Please, but don't Flame. Constructive Criticism is okay, but don't make it "Okay, let's all tell Beggs what a bad job he's doing on the story, so I say we go and FLAME him" time. I seriously don't want that. Okay thank you.

**Beggs**


	7. Start of a War

Author's Note- Happy New Year! Alright, now I am going to try to write this chapter's faster and update faster too. More will be revealed about Remus in later chapters. Also, I own no spells in this chapter. I'm too lazy right now to make up my own. Maybe later.

Thank you to all of those that reviewed. Now, on with the Story!

* * *

_Previously…_

"_I am not just a Jedi. There is not just Light, and there is not just Dark. There are shades of Grey also, and that's exactly what I am. Tell me, have you ever heard of the one named Darth Lightning?" Harry asked him._

_Dooku's eye's widened._

"_I see that your light saber skills are quite superb. Now, I believe you should feel another section of the force you will never have felt before. I can promise you that… Crucio Maximus!" Harry said, pointing his wand at Dooku._

_To say that Dooku was surprised, is to say the least. He didn't know what hit him. When the deep, blood-red energy shot out of that stick, he was shocked. Just nanoseconds later, he was on the ground, screaming, feeling as if his insides were being ripped out, or his very soul out of his being._

"_Had enough?" Harry asked coldly, removing the curse. "I thought you might. Now, I will give you one chance, and one chance is all. Tell your Master that if he doesn't quit trying to do warfare, I will personally kill him. Get out of my sight!" Dooku was helped up by the Separatist leaders, and they hurried out of sight, but not before Harry had placed tracking charms on them._

"_Harry, what did you let them go for?" Darra whined. "You should have gotten rid of them on the spot!"_

"_Were you not listening? I needed a message sent to this Darth Sidious," Harry said. "Plus, I put tracking charms on them that no one would be able to break." He finished smirking. "But now, let's go, we need to help with the fight out there."

* * *

_

**Chapter Seven:**

**Start of the War

* * *

**

For a moment, seeing Master Windu, Obi-Wan felt relieved; then Battle Droids began pouring into the arena from all directions. Geonosians fled as energy bolts began to fly._ So many droids! Can we –_

The reek bucked, and Obi-Wan went flying. He landed rolling and dodged an energy bolt. The droidekas were firing. He couldn't dodge all of them for very long. He needed a light saber.

As if in answer to his thoughts, a light saber came flying toward him. He caught it and activated it in one smooth movement, saluted the Jedi who'd tossed it to him, and deflected four energy bolts back toward Battle Droids. Anakin had a light saber now, too, he saw, and Padme had found a blaster somewhere.

The fight was the worst Obi-Wan had ever been through. It was far worse than Naboo had been. The Battle Droids kept coming and coming, endlessly. No matter how many they destroyed, there were always more. At one point, he found himself back-to-back with Mace Windu. They seemed to be making progress – and then Jango Fett rocketed down to join the fight. Mace went after the bounty hunter, and Obi-Wan was on his own again.

_There are too many of them!_ Obi-Wan lost count of the droids he had destroyed. He could feel Jedi dying around him, overwhelmed by sheer numbers. The sand of the arena was soaked with blood and littered with droid parts, and more Battle Droids were still coming. The three execution-monsters were dead – Obi-Wan vaguely remembered killing the acklay himself – but that hardly seemed to matter.

Suddenly, the droids stopped firing. Obi-Wan lowered his tired arms and looked around. Mace Windu, Padme, Anakin, and about twenty Jedi stood in the center of the arena, surrounded by Battle Droids. _Only twenty!_ He thought in shock. There must have been at least over a hundred light sabers shining in the arena when he'd first looked up and seen them. The other Jedi must all be dead.

"Master Windu!" Count Dooku's voice rang through the arena. "You have fought gallantly. You are worthy of recognition in the history archives of the Jedi Order. Now it is finished." He paused, then went on. "Surrender – and your lives will be spared."

"We will not be hostages for you to barter with, Dooku," Mace Windu's deep voice was firm, though he had to know what Dooku's reaction would be.

"Then I'm sorry old friend," Count Dooku said. "You will have to be destroyed." He raised his hand, and the Battle Droids raised their weapons.

"Look!" Padme shouted. Obi-Wan glanced quickly around, confused; he saw nothing but battle droids. Then he realized that Padme was pointing upward. He tilted his head back, and saw six gunships drop through the open air above the arena.

The gunships landed in a ring between the tiny circle of Jedi and the Geonosian Battle Droids. The arena filled with harsh white light as the thousands of Battle Droids and Super Battle Droids fired their lasers – and the bolts bounced off the shields of the gunships. Obi-Wan stared in disbelief and wonder. _Who are they? Where did they come from?_

And then troops in white body armor came pouring out of the ships, and he knew. _The clone army! But how…?_ The clone troopers poured rapid, deadly fire on the droids, forcing them back.

Master Yoda appeared in the doorway of one of the gun ships and motioned to the stunned Jedi. "Hurry!" he called.

Everyone raced to the gunships. As he boarded the nearest ship, Obi-Wan glanced up at the archducal box. It was empty. He looked down and saw the cone boy, Jang Fett's son, near one wall. The boy was kneeling beside the battered helmet his father had worn. _So Master Windu disposed of the bounty hunter,_ Obi-Wan thought. He felt sorry for the boy and wondered what would become of him, but there was nothing he could do now.

_We're not finished with this yet,_ he thought as the gunships rose out of the arena. _There are still all those Trade Federation Core Ships in the landing area._

_And then there's Count Dooku to deal with._

Obi-Wan glanced once more at the archducal box, and saw a black light saber, and a blue light saber both lit up. Then he saw a giant fireball come from one of these people that held the light sabers, and the fireball wiped out more then half of those Droids. _Haven't I seen him before…? Oh yes, it was at the Jedi temple… And that girl is Soara Anatana's Apprentice!_ "Steer the ship towards the archducal box! We have a few more Jedi to pick up!"

"Right Away Sir!" the clone pilot said.

* * *

"See Darra, It's pretty easy to wipe out Droids. All you have to do is either melt them, or short circuit them. Like this: _Incendio Maximus!_ _Jabitha!_" as he said that, a giant fireball with an emerald colored electricity surrounding it blasted out of his wand. 

"Maybe I'll go and take you to get yourself a wand one day. But today is not that day." Harry said.

"Harry, that ship is coming straight towards us…" Darra said, a little scared.

"I believe these are our allies. If not, we'll kill them right away. Agreed?" Harry asked.

"Agreed." Darra agreed.

"Oh, look, it's Anakin! I guess they have come to pick us up and stop us from being killed eventually!" Harry said in mock enthusiasm.

Darra just scowled at him.

* * *

Anakin knew the fight was not over, but he was glad to have a minute to rest. Padme was safely aboard, and there were no Battle Droids within reach of his light saber. The white-armored troopers inside the gunship fired one last time at the few Battle Droids still standing in the arena. Then the gunship lifted, and they were outside at last. 

Outside – but not out of the fight. In spite of himself, Anakin's hand clenched his borrowed light saber. A mass of Trade Federation Core Ships and droids covered the ground around the arena. _No wonder they kept coming like that!_ Anakin thought.

* * *

Meanwhile, Harry was shooting spells at the Core Ships. Such as high powered Explosion Hexes among other things. And it appeared to be working slightly. 

"Look! Over there!" Obi-Wan said, pointing.

Anakin peered out the open side of the gunship. A Geonosian speeder was heading rapidly away from the battle. In the open cockpit was the black-clad figure of Count Dooku. "It's Dooku!" Anakin turned to the gunship's pilot. "After him!"

The pilot nodded and the gunship began to turn. Suddenly something exploded below the ship. The vessel lurched sideways. Caught by surprise, Padme fell towards the edge of the ship. Anakin grabbed for her, but he was too off balance and too far away, and she tumbled out.

"Padme!" he cried in horror, then called frantically to the pilot. "Put the ship down! Down!"

Obi-Wan ran forward. "Don't let your personal feelings get in the way," he told Anakin sternly. Turning to the pilot, he waved toward the fleeing Count Dooku and commanded, "Follow that speeder."

Anakin glared at Obi-Wan. "Lower the ship," he told the pilot.

The pilot's helmet swiveled from Anakin to Obi-Wan in confusion.

Obi-Wan didn't seem to notice; his eyes were fixed on Anakin. "Anakin, We cant take

Dooku by ourselves," he said. "We need you. _I_ need you. And if we catch him, we can end this war right now. We have a job to do."

Anakin swallowed hard and looked back. Padme had rolled to the bottom of a dune. The sand was soft; she might be all right. _She must be all right._ But he couldn't tell, and there were still Trade Federation Battle Droids nearby. "I can't leave her," he said softly.

"Come to your senses," Obi-Wan said sharply.

Anakin looked up, startled, and a little angered by his Master's tone. Then he saw Obi-Wan's eyes – full of compassion and understanding, but still unyielding. "What do you think the Senator would do if she were in your position?" Obi-Wan asked softly.

Anakin fought to deny the answer, but he could not. "She would do her duty," he said heavily. He turned away as Obi-Wan ordered the pilot back on course. He kept his eyes on the unmoving Padme until she was completely out of sight.

"So… are you ready for the big fight?" Harry asked Anakin and Obi-Wan.

"If I told you that I wasn't tired right now, I'd be lying. But if I told you that I'm as ready as I'll ever be, I'd be telling you the truth." Anakin said tiredly.

"Good answer," Harry said smiling slightly. "I have a feeling that Count Dooku won't want to stay long after _we_ show up." Harry glanced at Darra, smirking. "Of course, he is afraid of what power I have over the '_Force_'." He said putting extra emphasis on the word Force.

"How?" Anakin asked, intrigued.

"Let's just saw that the people on my home planet use the Force much differently then the people of the Republic, or even the Separatists do." Harry said in a finalizing way.

And Anakin knew he wouldn't get out any more from Harry, so he dropped it.

They followed Dooku to a hangar tower. The gunship landed just long enough for all four Jedi to jump off, then it started back toward the main battle while the four Jedi headed inside. They found Dooku at a hangar control panel. A small, fast Solar Sailer ship sat in front of the hangar doors, ready for take off.

_He's running away,_ Anakin thought. Anger filled him. "You're going to pay for all the Jedi you killed today, Dooku!" he said as the Count looked up from the controls. He slightly smiled when he saw Anakin and Obi-Wan, but that soon dropped from his face as he saw Harry smirking at him, telling him through his eyes that he would die. He would never have the chance to tell his Master anything. And the Count was afraid.

Harry drew his wand, and muttered, "Incendio Maximus!" and melted the Count's escape ship. The Count would die today.

Obi-Wan drew his light saber. "We move in together," he said. "You, slowly on the -"

"No," Anakin said. The anger that filled him was changing, becoming the hate-filled rage he had felt on Tatooine, in the Tusken Raider camp. If he waited, if he went slowly, he would lose control again. _I am a Jedi! I can't feel like this!_ "I'm taking him now!"

Anakin charged, and Dooku smiled faintly. Dooku then used the force to throw him hard against the wall of the hanger. Anakin then lost consciousness.

Obi-Wan was up next. Dooku tried to fry him with Sith Lightning, but Obi-Wan blocked by absorbing it with his light saber. Soon, Obi-Wan was exhausting, and we struck down with two hits with Dooku's light saber. (Not Dead, just Injured)

Finally, Harry stepped up. "What did I tell you about this war?" he hissed at Dooku. "It never should have happened. Maybe you should feel the pain longer this time, Darth Tyrannus. _Crucio Maximus!_" This time, Harry held it for about a minute. When the curse was lifted, the old man looked like he had about twelve heart attacks. Soon after that, Harry felt merciful, and killed him. "_Avada Kedavra!"_ The Count was dead.

Harry then wrote upon a spare piece of parchment that he had, and wrote the following,

Dear Darth Sidious,

This is what happens to those that cross me. End this war now, or I shall kill you too. Let us not forget that I am the only one who was able to take a crystal from Exar Kunn's tomb and not get either tortured or killed for it. Stop this war or die.

Love (but not really),

Darth Lightning

Harry then turned the note into a one-way portkey, and pinned it onto Dooku's cloak. A few seconds later, the note, and Dooku's body disappeared, to the place where Harry had ripped from Dooku's memories. "Let that be a lesson to him…"

* * *

Darth Sidious was enjoying his afternoon, watching outside his window, then suddenly, he felt a pain unlike any other. He had felt it once before, when Darth Maul had been killed, but that would mean… Count Dooku was dead. _No, no, no! He's still vital to my plans!_

Then, three minutes after he had thought that, a body had shown up with a note attached to it. After he read it, he was silent for a minute. Then, he was extremely angry. He decided that if he was to end this threat, he would have to have some outside help… But who to contact…

"Perhaps _I_ could be of assistance," a voice from the shadows said. Sidious looked up. He hadn't even heard the thing come in.

Sidious looked into the shadows, and saw a pair of blood-red eyes. "You will need to come with me, however…"

Sidious thought for a moment, then sent out some Sith Lightning. The shadow lazily just waved it off as if it were nothing.

"If you do not wish for my help… then I will leave you. However, if you ever need help, just call me… on this." The shadow leaned forward and touched Sidious's left arm. The shadow began to chant in an unknown language. Suddenly, Sidious's left arm was burning. Then, without warning, it stopped. "Good-bye Darth Sidious… or should I say Chancellor Palpatine?" The shadow cackled, then vanished.

Sidious was speechless. Never, in a millennia, had he been bested by some other creature. He had always thought himself superior to all others. Now though… he wasn't so sure.

* * *

_Back on Coruscant…_

"Harry? Can I speak with you for a minute?" Anakin asked Harry in the halls of the Jedi Temple.

"Sure thing, Anakin. Let's go to a more _secure_ place though first. Anybody could be listening." Harry said, and Anakin agreed.

After five minutes of walking, they stopped, and Harry placed up privacy wards. "Now, what was it you wished to ask me about?" Harry asked.

"Harry… you know the first day that we met? That day you told me about your beliefs as a person, not as a Jedi. Do you still believe the same as you did a few months ago?" Anakin asked.

"Of course I do, why else would I be here? If I didn't, I would probably be out killing all the wrong-doers in the galaxy, or at least, make them turn around." Harry answered.

"Harry… I would like to invite you… I would like to invite you to mine and Padme Nabree's wedding." Anakin said.

Harry smiled. "I would love to go. And I promise I won't tell anyone," he added, seeing the look on Anakin's face. "Just tell me when, and where."

* * *

_A little while later…_

Obi-Wan stood beside Mace Windu, staring out the window at the great plaza below the Jedi Temple. Yoda sat nearby in his Council chair. It was good to be home, Obi-Wan thought, but Coruscant felt different now. Clone troopers in their smooth white body armor were everywhere. The Senate thought that their presence made people feel safe, but to Obi-Wan they were only a reminder of the vicious battle on Geonosis and all the Jedi who had not returned from it.

Bacta treatments had mended both his wounds and Anakin's. He thought about how close he was to losing some limbs just because he and Anakin didn't work together. Then he thought about how cruel this other Jedi was towards Count Dooku. _What was that stick anyway? How was the force able to be channeled through it? Hm…_Though Count Dooku was dead; the other Separatist leaders had gotten away. Undoubtedly there would be more trouble.

The thought brought to mind some of the things Count Dooku had told him, and he turned to Master Windu. "Do you believe what Count Dooku said about Sidious controlling the Senate?" he asked. "It doesn't feel right."

"Became unreliable, Dooku had," Yoda said before Mace could reply. His voice dropped. "Joined the dark side. Lies, deceit, creating mistrust were his ways."

Master Windu held up his hand. "Nevertheless, I feel we should keep a closer eye on the Senate."

Yoda nodded. "I agree."

Mace Windu turned his back to Obi-Wan. "Where is your apprentice?"

"On his way to Naboo," Obi-Wan said. "He is escorting Senator Amidala home." Anakin had told him of Shmi's death; that was why he and Padme had gone to Tatooine, he said. Obi-Wan had talked to Padme later, and she had explained that Shmi had been kidnapped and killed by Tusken Raiders.

Neither of them had been willing to go into much detail, and from what Obi-Wan knew of the Tusken Raiders, he didn't blame them. It was no wonder Anakin seemed shaken, if his mother had been tortured and killed. One day, perhaps, Anakin would be willing to tell him the whole story. In the meantime, Padme's presence seemed to cheer Anakin up, and it would be good for Anakin to spend a little time on a beautiful planet of Naboo. It might take his mind off the horror of his mother's death, and of the battle on Geonosis.

They had lost so many Jedi. Two hundred had gone to Geonosis; barely twenty had returned. Still, they had won. "I have to admit, without the clones it would not have been a victory," Obi-Wan said.

"Victory?" Yoda sat indignantly upright in his chair. "Victory, you say?"

Obi-Wan turned. Yoda looked around the almost-empty Council chamber, and his ears drooped sadly. "Master Obi-Wan, not victory," he said softly. "Only begun, this Clone War has."

The word rang in Obi-Wan's head. He closed his eyes, remembering the endless lines of clone troopers on Kamino. They were on Coruscant now – tens of thousands of clones, boarding Republic Assault Ships that would take them to fight on the Separatist worlds. There were many times as many troopers as there were Jedi, and the Kaminoans had a million more on the way. _It takes more beings to fight a war than it does to keep the peace,_ Obi-Wan thought gloomily, and realized that Yoda was right. The war had only begun.

* * *

_On Naboo…_

If Padme had ever thought about her wedding, she had pictured a formal ceremony with her family and friends as witnesses. She had never, in her wildest dreams, expected to be married secretly on an isolated island with only a pair of droids and a Jedi that Anakin trusted to watch the Holy Man's blessing. But she was here, and she could imagine no more perfect place to marry Anakin than the balcony of this lake lodge where she had begun to discover her love for him. The roses in the garden below were past their prime, shedding petals at the slightest breeze. The fading flowers drenched the air with their perfume.

Anakin seemed serious, almost sad as they exchanged their vows, and for a moment Padme wondered if they were doing the right thing. But it was too late to change her mind now; the vows were spoken.

The Holy Man blessed them, and Anakin turned to smile down at her. Padme smiled back, trying to set her misgivings aside. He raised his hand to her shoulder and looked into her eyes. Anakin's blue eyes darkened and his smile faded slightly. Did he sense the doubts she had tried to hide, or was it his own uncertainty she saw in his eyes? _It would destroy us_, he had said, and he had sounded so sure, as if he knew. But he had lost so much; surely he didn't have to lose this, too. _Not doing this would destroy us, too,_ Padme thought. _We'll make this work. Somehow._

Then Anakin bent and kissed her, and she had no more doubts. There was only Anakin, and the scent of the dying roses in the garden below.

* * *

_Somewhere on Coruscant…_

"So, did you think about my offer, Sith Lord?" the shadow said.

Palpatine jumped. "You really need to teach me how to do that sometime, shadow. But yes, I have thought about it, and I say yes to your help."

"Good, now I will teach you the force in ways you never thought possible…" the shadow whispered.

"Lead the way." And with that, they melted into the shadows.

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, so this chapter is a little short. Well, the next chapter will take place four years in the future from this chapter. So in other words, around the time of **Revenge of the Sith**. Next chapter is longer! 


	8. Battle for the Chancellor, Dark World

Author's Note: Hello again, I have just updated. (Duh) So here we go. As great as it was, I only got 1 review. And it wasn't even for chapter 7. Oh well, maybe more will review for this chapter (hint hint)

All the chapters from now on are during the Revenge of the Sith and beyond. (If I decide to go on past Revenge of the Sith).

I'm sure that if I had waited a little while longer, I probably would have gotten more reviews. But that's okay. Thanks for reviewing! Oh yes, one more thing, the first part of this is going to be pretty technical, so I'm sorry if you don't know what some words mean. Now, on with the story.

* * *

**Chapter Eight:**

**Battle for the Chancellor, and The Dark World

* * *

**

_This story happened a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. It is already over. Nothing can be done to change it._

_It is a story of love and loss, brotherhood and betrayal, courage and sacrifice and the death of dreams. It is a story of the blurred line between our best and our worst._

_It is the story of the end of an age._

_A strange thing about stories–_

_Though this all happened so long ago and so far away that words cannot describe the time or distance, it is also happening right now. Right here._

_This is how twenty-five millennia come to a close. Corruption and treachery have crushed a thousand years of peace. This is not just the end of a republic; night is falling on civilization itself._

_This is the twilight of the Jedi._

_The end starts now._

_-Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, by Matthew Stover

* * *

_

The skies of Coruscant blazed with war.

The artificial daylight spread by the capital's orbital mirrors was sliced by intersecting flames of ion drives and punctuated by starburst explosions; contrails of debris raining into the atmosphere become tangled ribbons of cloud. The nightside sky is an infinite lattice of shining hairlines that interlock planetoids and track erratic spirals of glowing gnats. Beings watching from rooftops of Coruscant's endless cityscape can find it beautiful.

From inside, it's different.

The gnats are drive glows of starfighters. The shining hairlines are light-scatter from turbolaser bolts powerful enough to vaporize a small town. The planetoids are capital ships.

The battle from the inside is a storm of confusion and panic, of galvened particle beans flashing past your starfighter so close that your cockpit rings like a broken annunciator, of the boot-sole shock of concussion missiles that blast into your cruiser, killing beings you have trained with and eaten with and played and laughed and bickered with. From the inside, the battle is desperation and terror and the stomach-churning certainty that the whole galaxy is trying to kill you.

Across the remnants of the Republic, stunned beings watch in horror as the battle unfolds live on the HoloNet. Everyone knows the war has been going badly. Everyone knows that more Jedi are killed or captured everyday, that the Grand Army of the Republic has been pushed out of system after system, but this–

A strike at the very heart of the Republic?

An _invasion _of_ Coruscant itself?_

How can this _happen?_

It's a nightmare, and no one can wake up.

Live via HoloNet, beings watch the Separatist droid army flood the government district. The coverage is filled with images of overmatched clone troopers cut down by remorselessly powerful destroyer droids in the halls of the Galactic Senate itself.

A gasp of relief: the troopers seem to beat back the attack. There are hugs and even some quiet cheers in living rooms across the galaxy as the Separatist forces retreat to their landers and streak for orbit–

_We won!_ Beings tell each other. _We held them off!_

But then the new reports trickle in–only rumors at first– that the attack wasn't an invasion at all. That the Separatists weren't trying to take the planet. That this was a lighting raid on the Senate itself.

The nightmare gets worse: the Supreme Chancellor is missing.

Palpatine of Naboo, the most admired man in the galaxy, whose unmatched political skills have held the Republic together, Whose personal integrity and courage prove that the Separatist propaganda of corruption in the Senate is nothing but lies. Whose charismatic leadership gives the whole Republic the will to fight on.

Palpatine is more than respected. He is loved.

Even the rumor of his disappearance strikes a dagger to the heart of every friend of the Republic. Every one of them knows it in her heart, in his guts, in its very bones.

Without Palpatine, the Republic will fall.

And now confirmation comes through, and news is worse than anyone could have imagined. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine has been captured by the Separatists–and not just the Separatists.

He's in the hands of General Grievous.

Grievous is not like other leaders of the Separatists. Nute Gunray is treacherous and venal, but he's Neimoidian: venality and treachery are expected, and in the Chancellor of the Trade Federation, they're even virtues. Poggle the Lesser is Archduke of the weapon masters of Geonosis, where the war began: he is analytical and pitiless, but also pragmatic. Reasonable. And the political heart of the Separatist Confederacy, Count Dooku, is no longer alive. Some Jedi killed him the same day that the war started. Now they have a new political head. His true identity is yet to be discovered, but he is know for his integrity, his principled stand against what he sees as corruption in the Senate. Though they believe he's wrong, many respect him for the courage of his mistaken convictions.

These are hard beings. Dangerous beings. Ruthless and aggressive.

General Grievous, though–

Grievous is a _monster._

The Separatist Supreme Commander is an abomination of nature, a fusion of flesh and droid–and his droid parts have more compassion than what remains of his alien flesh. This half-living creature is a slaughter of billions. Whole planets have burned at his command. He is the evil genius of the Confederacy. The architect of their victories.

The author of their atrocities.

And his durasteel grip has closed upon Palpatine. He confirms the capture personally in a wideband transmission from his command cruiser in the midst of the orbital battle. Beings across the galaxy watch, and shudder, and pray that they might wake up from this awful dream.

Because they know that what they're watching, live on the HoloNet, is the death of the Republic.

Some break down and cry. Others go and comfort the others and say: "Don't worry. It will be alright. Skywalker, Kenobi, and Potter will be there soon."

It as if these three names, _Skywalker, Kenobi, and Potter_, can do magic. Just hearing them brightens one's attitude. When young children are fooling around, you can often hear the parent say, "Which one are you supposed to be? Skywalker, Kenobi, or Potter?"

Yet strangely, here and now, it is not the adults comforting the children in this case. It is the other way around.

Yet, the adults need not have worried, for Anakin Skywalker, General Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Harry Potter were on their way.

* * *

_An hour after landing on Grievous's ship…_

Anakin's mouth compressed. After all the trouble they'd had with the turbolifts, anything could be up here by now. The place could be full of droidekas, for all they knew.

The lights came back on.

Anakin froze.

The dark figure in the chair–it _was_ Chancellor Palpatine, it was, and there were no droids to be seen, and his heart should have leapt within his chest, but–

Palpatine looked bad.

The Chancellor looked beyond old, looked ancient like Yoda was ancient: possessed of incomprehensible age. And exhausted, and in pain. And worse–

Anakin saw in the Chancellor's face something he never dreamed he'd find there, and it squeezed breath from his lungs and wiped words from his brain.

Palpatine looked _frightened._

And that imagining ignited a sizzle in his blood that drew his face tight and clouded his heart and started again the low roll of thunder in his ears: thunder from Aargonar. From Jabiim.

Thunder from the Tusken camp.

If Obi-Wan was struck by any similar distress, it was invisible. With his customary grave courtesy, the Jedi Master inclined his head. "Chancellor," he said, a calmly respectful greeting as though they had met by chance on the Grand Concourse of the Galactic Senate.

Palpatine's only response was a tight murmur. "Anakin, _behind_ you–!"

"General Kenobi. Anakin Skywalker. And… Harry Potter. Gentlemen–a term I use in its loosest possible sense–you are my prisoners." Said a voice from the balcony.

It was Dooku.

* * *

"Why do 66.6 percent of the Dark Lords that I kill keep coming back to life? I mean what the heck?" Harry said, clearly annoyed. 

"Ah yes, Harry Potter. You see, the answer to your question is that I was cloned. But I am not the real me. You killed the real me. I am cloned from the real Count Dooku, and you killed him, so now I take his place. Understand?" Dooku said, smirking.

"Barely, but that's because you are an idiot, and don't know how to phrase your words correctly. Oh, excuse me for a moment, I need to give the Chancellor a note. No need to wait for me, just start." And Harry pulled out a prewritten note and slipped it into the pockets of Palpatine's robes.

"Read this later, I don't think you will have time right now." Harry said smirking. Then he went and joined the fighting.

Obi-Wan and Anakin were fighting together, and it looked like they were starting to win. That's when Dooku called for the Super Battle Droids. Harry threw one _incendio_ at each of the droids, then went and fought with Dooku. Obi-Wan had just been knocked out, and it looked like he had broken his leg, but he couldn't be sure. Maybe not, but he was just guessing at the moment.

Anakin was getting stronger and stronger and faster and faster with his attacks. _It looks like he is going to kill Dooku in his anger… I need to make sure that if he does kill Dooku, it was because he needed to, not because he was blinded by hate and rage._

Finally, Anakin cut off Dooku's arm, and grabbed his light saber. Then he held the light sabers scissor-style. Harry knew then what he had to do, and yelled out, "_Accio Light sabers!"_ and the light sabers flew out of Anakin's hand.

"What in the world are you doing?" Anakin said, very angry, and now directing his rage at Harry.

"You need to calm down. If you keep up like this, you will kill him. You are a Jedi. It is not the Jedi way to kill a man unarmed." Harry said, unbothered by Anakin's growing rage.

"What would you know about being a true Jedi? You don't even follow all of the code!" Anakin said angrily.

"Neither did Master Qui-Gon Jinn, remember? But that doesn't mean that I don't have standards. Now, if you don't calm down, I'll be forced to stun you. Now cool off!" Harry said calmly. "Anakin, you do not want this, I know you don't. Our priority is to bring the _Chancellor_ back to Coruscant, not to kill anyone. However, we WILL arrest him," and with that, Harry stunned Dooku. Then he called out, "Hedwig!" Hedwig appeared, and Harry asked her if she could get everyone in this room back to Coruscant safely.

Hedwig nodded, and told everyone to grab on. She then flashed everyone except for Harry back to Coruscant. Harry waited, then Hedwig reappeared. I'm going to blow this ship up, but first, we need to find R2-D2. It's really special to Anakin, and I don't want him to lose it here.

After searching the ship via flashing, they finally found R2-D2. Harry grabbed hold on to both R2-D2 and Hedwig, and flashed out, just seconds after he threw the most powerful explosion hex he knew, and just seconds before the ship and most of the inhabitants died. Unfortunately, some of the Separatists had escaped.

But none of that mattered now. All that mattered at the moment was that the Chancellor was safe, and so was the Republic.

* * *

A few hours later, Palpatine had his hands in his robe pockets and found a piece of paper. Recognizing it as the paper that Jedi Knight Potter had given him, he looked at it, and the color drained from his face. 

_I know who you are, Chancellor. One false move, and your head is mine._

_D.L.

* * *

_

Across the platform (which was where the Jedi and the Chancellor were flashed to), an escape pod hatch cycled open. Emergency crews scrambled over to them, and a moment later, the Supreme Chancellor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Anakin Skywalker were all on the deck, followed closely by Harry, Hedwig, and a somewhat battered R2 unit that lifted itself down on customized maneuvering rockets.

Mace strode swiftly out to meet them.

Palpatine's robes were scorched and tattered at the hem, and he seemed weak; he leaned a bit on Skywalker's other side, and Master Kenobi seemed a touch the worse for wear himself: caked with dust and leaking a trickle of blood from a scalp wound.

Skywalker, by contrast, looked every bit the HoloNet hero he was supposed to be. He seemed to tower over his companions, as though he had somehow gotten even taller in the months since Mace had seen him last. His hair was tousled, his color was high, and his walk still had the grounded grace of a natural fighter, but there was something new in his physicality: in the way he moved his head, perhaps or the way the weight of Palpatine's arm on his shoulder seemed somehow to belong there… or something less definable. Some new ease, new confidence. An aura of inner power.

Presence.

Potter on the other hand… It looked like he was _bored_ with the situation. Like he had done things a lot more dangerous than the mission he was just on. With him, it was hard to tell his emotions. He would look happy and excited one moment, then cool and collected the next. It didn't even look like he had even bothered to do any fighting. Just sat and watched the other two deal with it. Hm… But he seemed to have the same kind of aura, only more so. He Mace was overwhelmed by the amount he had.

"Chancellor," Mace said as he met them. "Are you well? Do you need medical attention?" He gestured over his shoulder to the waiting gunship. "I have a fully equipped field surgery–"

"No, no, no need," Palpatine said, rather faintly. "Thank you, Master Windu, but I am well. Quite well, thanks to these three."

Mace nodded. "Master Kenobi? Anakin? Harry?"

"Never better," Skywalker replied, looking as if he meant it, and Kenobi only shrugged, with a slight wince as he touched his scalp wound.

"Only a bump on the head."

"I'm fine, but Tyrannus here needs some attention. Anakin sure did a number on him," Harry said, and moved so the Dooku would be in sight.

Mace called some clones over from the gunship, and they brought Dooku back to it. Mace then waved the ship off after the clones got on.

"We don't even have a preliminary estimate of civilian casualties." Mace said. "A shuttle is on its way. Chancellor, we'll have you on the Senate floor within the hour. The HoloNet has already been notified that you will want to make a statement."

"I will. I will, indeed." Palpatine touched Mace on the arm. "You have always been of great value to me, Master Windu. Thank you.

"The Jedi are honored to serve the Senate, sir." There might have been the slightest emphasis on the word _Senate_. Mace remained expressionless as he subtly moved his arm away from the Chancellor's hand. He looked at Obi-Wan. "Is there anything else to report, Master Kenobi? What of General Grievous?"

"Mace, actually, he escaped, but I know exactly where he is right now, and where he will be going. I have a tracker on him, that nobody can take off, except for myself," Harry interjected.

"Do you know where he is right now?" Mace demanded.

"Didn't I just say that? I think I just said that," he said to no one in particular.

"Where is he then?" Mace said getting a little impatient.

"Patience is a virtue you must learn, Mace. Don't worry, the next Council meeting, if you let me take some of the member's time, I will explain all of this and more. But for now, let us be happy that this clone of Dooku was caught." Harry said calmly.

"But…" Mace blinked. Dooku was to the Separatists what Palpatine was to the Republic: the center of gravity binding together a spiral galaxy of special interests. With Dooku truly gone, the Confederacy of Independent Systems would no longer really be a confederacy at all. They'd fly to pieces within weeks.

Within _days_.

Mace said again, "But…"

And, in the end, he couldn't think of a _but_.

This was all so astonishing that he very nearly–almost, but not quite–cracked a smile.

"It was entirely extraordinary," Palpatine said blandly, oblivious to Mace's narrowing stare. "I know next to nothing of swordplay, of course; to my amateur's eye, it seemed that Count Dooku may have been… a trace overconfident. Especially after having disposed of Master Kenobi so neatly."

Obi-Wan flushed, just a bit–and Anakin flushed considerably more deeply. Harry, however… he seemed to have no reaction at all. _He's getting really good at hiding his emotions… I haven't been able to tell when he's angry or sad, happy or depressed, since… I can't remember…_ Mace thought.

"Perhaps young Anakin was simply more… highly _motivated_," Palpatine said, turning a fond smile upon him. However, at these words, Harry growled slightly. Mace thought he saw a flicker of fear appear on Palpatine's face, but it disappeared so fast that he thought he might have imagined it. "After all," Palpatine continued, "Dooku was fighting only to slay an enemy; Anakin was fighting to save–if I may presume the honor–a friend."

Again Harry growled slightly. Mace looked at him curiously, but then turned his attention back to Palpatine. His scowl darkened. Fine words. Perhaps even true words, but he still didn't like them. And apparently, Harry didn't either.

No one on the Jedi Council had ever been comfortable with Skywalker's close relationship with the Chancellor –they'd had more than one conversation about it with Obi-Wan while Skywalker had still been his Padawan –and Mace was less than happy to hear Palpatine speaking for a young Jedi who seemed unprepared to speak for himself. He said, "I'm sure the Council will be very interested in you full report, Anakin," with just enough emphasis on _full_ to get his point across. Then, as an afterthought, he said, "Yours as well, Harry."

Skywalker swallowed, and then, just as suddenly as it had collapsed, that aura of calm, centered confidence rebuilt itself around him. "Yes. Yes of course, Master Windu."

* * *

Harry walked into his quarters, and saw his faithful snake, Galazar, resting on the windowsill. When he looked around, he saw his other familiar, Hedwig, and smiled. "Hedwig, are you ready to go and see the new spells that have been created?" and he said to Galazar, "_Galazar, I am going to my home world, to pick up some books on spells that I could use. Do you want to come?_" 

The snake replied, "_Sure, Master Harry, I would love to go._"

Harry shook his head. "_Gala, how many times do I have to ask you to stop calling me Master? For the Billionth time, it's Harry._"

"_Okay, Master Harry._"

_Stubborn snake… _Harry thought.

"_Well Gala, wrap yourself around me, and we will go."_ Harry said to her.

As soon as Gala had wrapped herself firmly onto Harry, he called out to Hedwig and said, "To Diagon Alley, girl." It a flash of white light, they were gone.

* * *

When they reappeared, they were in what looked like a deserted alley. Everything was covered in boring purple leaflets, like it had back when Voldemort was around. On a closer look at one of these, he found: 

**By Order of Ministry of Magic-**

**Do these steps in making sure you are safe.**

**Make sure you are well versed in swordplay, if you aren't, learn NOW before it's too late.**

**If the things the humans call 'robots' start firing energy bolts at you, use any and all shield charms you know.**

**If you see an inferi, Run away as fast as you can. If not possible, use fire and heat charms, such as incedio, and aestus estus.**

**Don't go ANYWHERE alone. Always let someone know where you are going, and when you will be back.**

**If faced with the use of a muggle weapon called a gun (a metal wand that muggles use to kill each other) use the shield "Butteki Chou"**.

**If you see a Dementor, use the "Letalis Lumos" spell, as it effectively injures them.**

**Most importantly, if you see any suspicious figures, notify Ministry Officials immediately**.

**Thank you for your co-operation.**

**Sincerely,**

**Minister of Magic,**

**Harry Weasley**

**Senior Undersecretary,**

**James Longbottom**

Harry was in shock. This had to be either the children of his friends, or the grandchildren. Maybe even his friend's _Great_-grandchildren. But he would dwell on this later. First, he was off to Gringotts bank.

"Good day, Griphook" Harry said to the aged Goblin.

Griphook squinted at him, and then a look of recognition came to his face. "Mr. Potter?"

"Yes, Griphook, it's me, Harry. Can I speak to you in private? I haven't been around here for a while, so I would like to know what has happened since 2017 here in England." Harry said in a hushed voice, so only Griphook could hear.

"Y-yes, right away Mr. Potter," Griphook started, and led him into his private office. "What would you like to know?"

"First of all, what year is it?" Harry asked.

"It is 425 A.H.D. A.H.D. standing for 'After Harry's Death'. But… seeing as you are here right now, I guess that isn't exactly correct now is it?" Griphook said. "But, if you wish for the old way of years that we used to use, the year is now 2480 A.D. July 29."

Harry stared. Though his body was only 21, his age here was 419. 420 in two days. "Okay, what has happened? What's the threat as of now? And can you teach me any new things about Goblin magic that I didn't learn before? Oh yes, how are the rights of all sentient beings. Are they all considered equal?"

Griphook laughed as he listened to all of Harry's questions being fired off extremely fast. His face grew grimmer however, and replied. "The muggles are attacking. Their leader seems to be a being that is powerful where he comes from, but that's really the question. Where _did_ it come from? He has knowledge of magic, and seems to use it in ways not exactly known to any. He carries a blood-red blade made of energy, and it is rumored that he is not even of this planet… we do not know what to believe anymore. I could teach you some more recent Goblin magic invented, but I believe that you would understand much better if I gave you this," at this point, he gave Harry a book.

Griphook then continued, "As Head Goblin, I can do pretty much whatever I want, so don't worry about me getting in trouble." Seeing Harry's surprised look, he said, "What? I like to remain as inconspicuous as possible. It helps to know your employees better than you would if you just sat up in the office all day doing nothing except reading mail from the Chancellor of Magic, you know," he finished, slightly smirking.

"As for your last question… Goblins, Vampires, and Veelas are the last free beings, but even then, our rights are just above that of a servant's." He said, rather sadly.

"I promise I will help all magical creatures and free them from their lowly rights," Harry declared.

"Of course, Mr. Potter," but he was cut off. "Harry," Harry interjected. "It's Harry."

"Well, then, of course, Harry. As Head of Gringotts, I will personally support you, however… I'm not so sure the Council of Goblins will. I will speak with them, and if they agree, I will let you know.

Harry nodded. "Well, thanks a lot, but I have to go now. A lot of shopping and things to do today you know."

And with that, Harry left Gringotts and had an eventful day of shopping. He went to the Leaky Cauldron, rented a room, then as soon as he got to his room, he fell onto his bed and slept…

* * *

Author's note: Trying to update faster! Oh by the way, the reference to the Chancellor of Magic, since its about 400+ years since Harry was on Earth, they now have some kind of big world-wide ministry. The Minister of Magic is now really just a local thing, kind of like a mayor or someone, but the Chancellor of Magic is pretty much the biggest person in the world, like a King or a President, only that he or she is above everyone except for the law in position. Hope that clears things up. If not, just review and tell me, and I'll try to make it even clearer. 

Okay, R&R please, but no Flames!

**Beggs**


	9. Flashbacks of Pain

Author's Note: Alright, this is the fastest update I think I've ever done, but this is kinda short. Now, if you can't tell who the shadow thing was, then you obviously don't have good observation skills, or I haven't done a very good job explaining. The shadow will be explained in this chapter, and so will the identity of the new Dark Lord person on Earth.

And I suddenly feel the need to say that I don't own the stuff from Harry Potter or Star Wars, except for a few spells and people, and occasionally places every so often.

* * *

Here's an excerpt from the last chapter explaining the Shadow. 

_Darth Sidious was enjoying his afternoon, watching outside his window, then suddenly, he felt a pain unlike any other. He had felt it once before, when Darth Maul had been killed, but that would mean… Count Dooku was dead. **No, no, no! He's still vital to my plans!**_

_Then, three minutes after he had thought that, a body had shown up with a note attached to it. After he read it, he was silent for a minute. Then, he was extremely angry. He decided that if he was to end this threat, he would have to have some outside help… But who to contact…_

"_Perhaps I could be of assistance," a voice from the shadows said. Sidious looked up. He hadn't even heard the thing come in._

_Sidious looked into the shadows, and saw a pair of blood-red eyes. "You will need to come with me, however…"_

_Sidious thought for a moment, then sent out some Sith Lightning. The shadow lazily just waved it off as if it were nothing._

"_If you do not wish for my help… then I will leave you. However, if you ever need help, just call me… on this." The shadow leaned forward and touched Sidious's left arm. The shadow began to chant in an unknown language. Suddenly, Sidious's left arm was burning. Then, without warning, it stopped. "Good-bye Darth Sidious… or should I say Chancellor Palpatine?" The shadow cackled, then vanished._

_Sidious was speechless. Never, in a millennia, had he been bested by some other creature. He had always thought himself superior to all others. Now though… he wasn't so sure._

_Somewhere on Coruscant…_

"_So, did you think about my offer, Sith Lord?" the shadow said._

_Palpatine jumped. "You really need to teach me how to do that sometime, shadow. But yes, I have thought about it, and I say yes to your help."_

"_Good, now I will teach you the force in ways you never thought possible…" the shadow whispered._

"_Lead the way." And with that, they melted into the shadows._

Does that answer your questions? I hope so, if not, I will try to clear it up in later chapters, or just ask again, and I will try to be more exact with my answer.

* * *

_"Of course, Mr. Potter," but he was cut off. "Harry," Harry interjected. "It's Harry."_

_"Well, then, of course, Harry. As Head of Gringotts, I will personally support you, however… I'm not so sure the Council of Goblins will. I will speak with them, and if they agree, I will let you know._

_Harry nodded. "Well, thanks a lot, but I have to go now. A lot of shopping and things to do today you know."_

_And with that, Harry left Gringotts and had an eventful day of shopping. He went to the Leaky Cauldron, rented a room, then as soon as he got to his room, he fell onto his bed and slept…_

Now on with the story…

* * *

**Chapter Nine:**

**Flashback of Pain

* * *

**

_Harry was standing in the middle of a desolate mass gravesite, that he and Remus were standing in the middle of. "Harry, I'm so sorry, I tried to get there on time. I did, really I did. But… I couldn't save her. I'm so sorry." Remus said desperately to Harry, trying to make get him to understand he had done everything he could to save her. "I… I'm sorry…" Remus said. _

_Harry looked around at the destruction around him. That he had caused. One person had killed one other, and Harry had snapped. Even the little tiny bugs were dead. He had tried to use his Life Restoring spell, to make her come back from the Great Beyond, but it hadn't worked. She was gone forever. So Harry killed everything in his path, excluding Remus, who he felt some kind of desperate clinging towards. _

_Then Harry looked at Remus. Remus stared straight into his dull, hollow, emerald eyes. He could see the pain and suffering he was going through. They say the eyes are the window to the soul. And Remus believed it. And he relished it for it made him stronger._

"_I know you tried to save her Remus. I even tried. But I promise that it will never happen again." Harry said desperately, willing for Remus to believe him._

_Remus' amber eyes flashed red and black for a moment, then returned to normal._

"_I believe you," Remus replied, holding his wand and light saber he had acquired to Harry's back. "I'm not going to give you the chance to even try to save anyone, ever again." He said in a voice that sounded oddly familiar, but different at the same time._

_Harry's eyes widened, and he turned his head around slowly. What he saw on Remus' face was even more shocking. His eyes were a blood red and black as the bottom of any unrespectable water world's ocean. His face was twisted and sadistic, and was smiling hungrily._

"_Oh how I've waited for this moment. Ever since I learned that you were on Coruscant, I came directly to you. Of course you had no idea that this pathetic vessel wasn't your friend…" Remus said._

_Harry's blood froze. His mind stopped working. "What do you mean 'vessel'?" Harry asked._

"_You still don't know? Well, if you are lucky enough to survive my initial attack, I will tell you who I really am," Remus said. "But I digress. Poor man you killed… he did nothing to your precious girl. I killed her myself. But first I made her life as miserable as possible. I punished her, for trying to get in my way. Don't worry, I made her go through the amount of pain you put me through… only that compared to what you did, that was like tip-toeing through meadows of clover. Your little girlfriend met her end as a brave soul." Remus whispered. _

"_And now, I shall finally finish you off forever, Potter!" he continued, as he got gradually louder and louder until he finally started laughing in a high, cold voice. Then he looked at Harry, and said, "It is your Judgment Day Potter!"_

"_Voldemort." Harry said coldly._

"_Correct in one. You see, my other self planted my 7th horcrux on your friend's body and made him come to this galaxy. You're friend wasn't dead when he came, but soon, as I took over his body, he was. While the number 7 might be the most powerful magical number, I felt that just in case my other ones were destroyed, I would have at least one somewhere else that I knew would not be destroyed." Remus or Voldemort, said._

"_I killed you before, I can kill you again!" Harry yelled, and suddenly, Voldemort was pushed back._

"_Oh, I see you've improved since the last time we met. Now, playtime is over, for I tire of this. Once you are dead, I shall kill the one who calls himself Palpatine, as he is one who needs to be taken out." Voldemort said. Then he called out, "**Poena Letum**!"_

_Harry dodged, and the fray of spells started to fly. "Stop hiding, Harry, for I know you are there," Voldemort laughed._

_Soon, Voldemort repeated what he had said in Harry's Fourth Year at Hogwarts. "Does this mean you are tired of our duel? Does this mean that you would prefer me to finish it now, Harry? Come out, Harry… come out and play, then… it will be quick… it might even be painless… I would not know…I have never died…"_

_Harry stood up from his hiding place and said boldly to him, "Yes, you have, I killed you, remember? Oh wait, that's right, you were too busy trying to get yourself killed over here,"_

"_You shall die for your impertinence! Seeing as neither of us can best each other in spells, lets do this the old fashion way. Swordplay. Of course, that's only if you can get past your little friends here…" Suddenly, Fifty Clones rose up from the ground, and Voldemort commanded them to attack Harry. Soon, Harry had stopped all of the animated dead, and was about to go after Voldemort, when he was attacked from behind. When he turned around, he saw the dull color in her eyes… Harry couldn't bring himself to attack the woman he loved…_

"_Darra… I'm so sorry, I couldn't save you. I tried so hard, but I just couldn't do it… I deserve what you are about to do to me, I understand. I forgive you, my love." Harry said to the animated dead in front of him, as she raised her light saber for the killing stroke. Harry dropped his lightsaber to his side, flicked off the switch. He closed his eyes and waited for the killing blow._

_Darra's eyes started to become moist as she heard him say these things. While she really wasn't alive, part of her essence wouldn't let her kill the man in front of her. So she suddenly turned and banished the lightsaber straight through Voldemort's heart. He let out a surprised "Oh", and fell to the ground, dead forever. As this was done, the enchantment broke over Darra, and she fell to the ground, dead once more. But this time, she had a contented smile on her face. Harry crawled over to her, and cried over her dead body…_

Harry woke up suddenly, as he had had that dream again. The one about Darra's death, and Remus' unknowing betrayal. He then called Hedwig over, as he couldn't breathe, and she trilled softly. Soon, Harry was asleep once more. He had no more dreams that night. When Harry woke up, he found that he was still at The Leaky Cauldron, but was on a nice comfortable bed. He shook his head, and tried to clear his mind of the dream that he had been having lately, but he just couldn't. So he put it at the back of his mind. So he decided that soon, he would have a nice relaxing vacation somewhere, on a nice tropical planet. Of course, things never turn out the way they should.

* * *

A shadowed figure stood in front of a podium of pure black polished wood. In front of him were thousands of people. 

"My friends, allies, we have gathered here today to celebrate what we know to be the final purifying of Earth! For so long, the freaks, who fashioned themselves _wizards_ and _witches,_ have lived among us, taking us out over the centuries. So called terrorist attacks, actually product of _their_ attacks! Today, I tell you, the war is almost over. Today, we go to victory!" the shadowed figure announced.

The crowd cheered, and the figure smiled. "Battle is upon us! Now, we will destroy those with their _magic_. We will show them who the true superior are. We, the normal people, not them, the freaks. Today is the day we win! Today… they die." The figure smiled and lifted up the hood that covered him. He looked exactly like…

* * *

"…Ron Weasley, you know, Harry Potter's best friend? He was famous for going and betraying his own girlfriend and Harry as well to the Dark Lord at the time. Of course, who knows if he was forced into it or not, because Lord What's-his-face had a lot of people under the imperius curse at that time," one professor of Magical History said to the other professors in the staff room. "But anyway, his ancestral tomb was robbed! Can you imagine? Who would want to steal a body of a guy who died over 420 years ago?" 

The other professors looked around, wide-eyed. "Where did you hear this," the Head professor demanded. "It was in the Prophet, it quotes the Minister himself!" the first professor said excitedly.

The Head professor swore under his breath. That was supposed to be kept a secret! "Hm, well, I suppose that some tomb robber just wanted to steal some parts for a revival potion," another professor said darkly.

"Let me see that!" the Head professor snatched the article out of the first professor's hands. He skimmed through the article, and swore again. "I must go. That should never have gotten out. Before I go however, I must first give you all a bonus for such hard work. _Multiplicus Avada Kedavra!_." 8 bodies fell to the ground, with a thump. "Now, to destroy the evidence…" the sick, sick man cackled, then cut the bodies up into pieces with a blood-red laser sword. He then used _Evansco_ to get rid of the bodies pieces, and apparated away.

* * *

Harry got up and stretched. Why did these dreams keep haunting him? Was it some sort of sign? Some kind of test? And why, was his scar acting up again? It shouldn't have been, because he had destroyed Voldemort. So what was going on? 

Harry sighed. Oh well, time to go and find out more about this Muggle Dark Lord who carries this lightsaber…

And with that, Harry went down the stairs, and had some breakfast, made by Tomple the Innkeeper.

* * *

Author's note: Hey guys, now I have updated, so there. Okay, Please read and review, but don't flame please! 


	10. A Force to Be Reckoned With

Author's Note: I haven't updated in about, well, many things, but I've been a little busy. With things like school, getting a new girlfriend who demands a lot of my time (but I love her) and a whole bunch of other crap. Plus I had a slight writers block. Ideas would be nice for upcoming chapters. This chapter may not be as long as the others though, just keep that in mind. Oh and also, not having very many reviews kind of brought me down just a little bit. So, if you guys start reviewing, I might start updating faster. Also, to all of those Ron-lovers, don't worry, you'll find out about him soon enough, and you won't have to worry about me trying to give him a super-bad light. So yeah.

* * *

ON WITH THE STORY! 

"_Let me see that!" the Head professor snatched the article out of the first professor's hands. He skimmed through the article, and swore again. "I must go. That should never have gotten out. Before I go however, I must first give you all a bonus for such hard work. Multiplicus Avada Kedavra!." 8 bodies fell to the ground, with a thump. "Now, to destroy the evidence…" the sick, sick man cackled, then cut the bodies up into pieces with a blood-red laser sword. He then used Evansco to get rid of the bodies pieces, and apparated away._

_Harry got up and stretched. Why did these dreams keep haunting him? Was it some sort of sign? Some kind of test? And why, was his scar acting up again? It shouldn't have been, because he had destroyed Voldemort. So what was going on?_

_Harry sighed. Oh well, time to go and find out more about this Muggle Dark Lord who carries this lightsaber…_

* * *

**Chapter Ten:**

**A Force to Be Reckoned With**

* * *

A dark figure was walking down a dimly-lit street. Behind him, marched what seemed to be about 20 important people from around the world- presidents, kings, dictators, you name it, they were there. Finally, they arrived to the front door. The door, which would lead to the "outside" world. The world, where nothing, is EVER what it seems to be. And…

The figure knocked quietly.

The innkeeper opened the door, and the dark figure asked as politely as he could, "Can we come in? My Colleagues and I have some special… business with you and your inn." The innkeeper's eyes widened, seeing the guns, and quickly closed the door, and reached for his wand. He heard another knock. This time, he was ready for them, and already had his wand out, and had the door locked up with one of those chains that allow the door to open up slightly, without letting anyone in.

He opened the door slightly… and flew back across the room, landing on one of his tables, face bloody and mangled. Then, the door blew off with another blast.

The Dark Figure chuckled, and turned to one of the men behind him, who had fired the shots. "Good work, soldier," and gave him a salute, which the man heartily returned. They all stepped inside, searching for the way into the back. One of the figure's followers spotted it, and pointed it out to his leader. The Dark Figure nodded and walked calmly to the back of the inn, trying to contain his look of excitement. Checking the back wall, in the small clearing they found right outside the inn in the back, and seeing no way through, he simply said, "Blast it."

One of the followers spoke up in surprise, saying "Are you sure that's a good idea, sir? We may just end up blowing ourselves up!"

The Dark Figure turned slowly, walked up to the follower-in-question, and said in a low voice, "You dare question me?"

The air seemed to chill suddenly, and the now frightened man whimpered. "N-n-no sir," the man whispered.

"What was that, speak up," The Dark Figure said in a quiet voice.

"N-no sir, I don't question your authority, I was just…" the man started.

"Tie him to the wall. Blow him up along with the wall. We can slap the explosives on him, and then just blow him and the wall to pieces. Then we shall see if this building is sturdy enough to withstand a small explosion." The Dark Figure said, smiling snidely. He watched as his allies strapped the bomb to the doomed follower's chest, and how they had tied him to the wall, first knocking him out. They were cruel, but not so much that they'd let him be awake for his own death. It was hard enough knowing they were killing one of their own, but… it would have been even harder hearing him scream and plead for mercy from the Leader of the mission. And it would NOT do well to get back to… the men and women shivered at the very thought of any of this finding its way back to HIM.

The Dark Figure led them from the room, into the lobby, and out the front door, and then gave the signal.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The Dark Figure smiled in triumph.

* * *

Harry looked up in surprise from his table, and was shocked to see Tomple the innkeeper fly across the room. Crouching behind his table, he watched as someone in a dark cloak stepped into the room, saying something to someone behind him. Watching them figure out where the entrance to Diagon Alley was, made it unnerving as well. They were just Muggles, for Heaven sakes! 

Harry watched as the seeming leader of the group made the order for one of their own to be killed in the explosion. Did they not care for human life?

_Ah,_ a nasty little voice in his head said, _but you don't really highly regard anything's life if I remember correctly_.

Harry just ignored it, and watched as the leader and his followers left the Leaky Cauldron. He knew he would only have seconds before they would try to blast the wall and go into Diagon Alley. Jumping from his crouching position, to a spot near the back door, he opened the door, and hurriedly _Accio_'d the explosive from the man's chest, and a reverse shield charm on the explosive itself, to try to prevent it from destroying the building, and killing anyone who was near.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The explosive exploded, and the fire and debris pounded at the shield charm, making Harry sweat a little. What if he couldn't make it stay steady? What if he couldn't prevent it from blowing this place up? _And what if_, said that same little voice,_ you aren't as strong as you thought? Maybe you were a weakling all this time, and you're heroism was all just an act…_

No, Harry decided, he WAS strong, and he would control the blaze, and destroy it. Seconds felt like days, it seemed to take forever for him to finally put it out. Dropping his shield charm, he turned slightly, and leaned against the wall. Panting, he realized he had only a matter of seconds before that figure would come back, and check on how well his bomb had worked. Eyes widening, as he saw the door handle starting to turn, he looked around, trying to figure out how he could hide himself. Knowing he was cornered, he would just try to fight it out. He WAS a Jedi Wizard, was he not?

Grasping tightly onto his lightsaber, he stood ready for any blasts that he knew would come. Slowly, the door opened, and…

Nothing came. He knew, however, that if he were to peak around the doorway, he would be shot immediately, so, he waited. And he waited. And he waited some more. Finally, after a few minutes of this, he saw something roll into the room, onto the floor. Picking up the can, he read, "Knockout the Clock Gas. By the time you're done reading this, you'll be knocked… out… and…" He vision started to blacken. He called out "Hedwig" feebly, hoping against hope that she would hear his cry, and save him. The last thing he saw was a flash of white light, and men and women shouting. He was going home.

* * *

Yoda looked up from his quiet sanctuary on Dagobah, where he had been for the past few years of his exile. After failing to kill Darth Sidious, he had to, as he had failed not only the Republic, and the Jedi, but he had failed himself. He had lived here, on this remote swamp of a planet, but had no way of knowing what was about to happen. After all, who would expect a former Jedi Knight to suddenly appear in front of them in a flash of white fire? Not very many, not very many at all. 

Yoda jumped back in shock. Here was Harry Potter, who he had thought was long dead, and his White Phoenix. And Harry was there, convulsing on the ground. The Phoenix bent over Harry, and cried on him, trying to wake him up, but it was to no avail. Harry would just not wake up. Yoda hobbled over to Harry, and bent over his chest, checking for a heartbeat. Hearing one, he decided that Harry would be okay, and probably just needed some rest.

Looking at the Phoenix, he said, "Come, Phoenix, carry him to my hut you should."

The Phoenix nodded at him, and gently picked Harry up, and flew slowly behind Yoda, following him to his hut.

Yoda could tell that the Phoenix was worried, but all he had to say to it was, "Be fine, he will, for sure I am."

Harry had now since stopped convulsing, and was just laying there. Yoda felt out through the force, and checked Harry's vital signs. Deciding they were all okay, he looked at the Phoenix one last time, and gazed at its feathers. They seemed slightly off, as if there was now a bluish tint to the white that the Phoenix had for the color of its feathers, as opposed to how the Phoenix was just a white color, which Yoda remembered so well.

Yoda sighed. "Had a hard day, we have," he said sadly. The Phoenix just nodded, and Harry looked like he was fighting an internal struggle within himself. Only time would tell.

* * *

Review, and I will make the next chapter not only longer, but faster in updates! After all, I'm getting the feeling that nobody likes what I'm writing, so help me feel better, and review! Thanks a billion

Beggs


	11. What Time is It?

Hey all! It's taken a bit, but this chapter is finally up now! Surprising twist this chapter, but I won't say too much more, otherwise, I'll end up ruining it for you anyway, to all of my reviewers who wondered or said anything about why I didn't stay in Revenge of the Sith longer, all will be explained. DEATHLY HALLOWS SPOILER in this chapter. If you haven't read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, it is recommended you read the final book in JKR's series, as things will make more sense once you read that, coming back to this.

* * *

_Last time…_

_Yoda looked up from his quiet sanctuary on Dagobah, where he had been for the past few years of his exile. After failing to kill Darth Sidious, he had to, as he had failed not only the Republic, and the Jedi, but he had failed himself. He had lived here, on this remote swamp of a planet, but had no way of knowing what was about to happen. After all, who would expect a former Jedi Knight to suddenly appear in front of them in a flash of white fire? Not very many, not very many at all. _

_Yoda jumped back in shock. Here was Harry Potter, who he had thought was long dead, and his White Phoenix. And Harry was there, convulsing on the ground. The Phoenix bent over Harry, and cried on him, trying to wake him up, but it was to no avail. Harry would just not wake up. Yoda hobbled over to Harry, and bent over his chest, checking for a heartbeat. Hearing one, he decided that Harry would be okay, and probably just needed some rest._

_Looking at the Phoenix, he said, "Come, Phoenix, carry him to my hut you should."_

_The Phoenix nodded at him, and gently picked Harry up, and flew slowly behind Yoda, following him to his hut._

_Yoda could tell that the Phoenix was worried, but all he had to say to it was, "Be fine, he will, for sure I am."_

_Harry had now since stopped convulsing, and was just laying there. Yoda felt out through the force, and checked Harry's vital signs. Deciding they were all okay, he looked at the Phoenix one last time, and gazed at its feathers. They seemed slightly off, as if there was now a bluish tint to the white that the Phoenix had for the color of its feathers, as opposed to how the Phoenix was just a white color, which Yoda remembered so well._

_Yoda sighed. "Had a hard day, we have," he said sadly. The Phoenix just nodded, and Harry looked like he was fighting an internal struggle within himself. Only time would tell.

* * *

_

**Chapter Eleven:**

**What Time Is It?**

Harry opened his eyes. Why did the forest look familiar somehow? Shrugging this question off, he stood up, and put his hand into a pocket in his robe… 'Hang on, robe!?' Harry thought. Looking down at his body, he was indeed wearing a robe. A plain black wizard robe to be exact. He felt a cool metal ball in his fingers. 'What's this?' Harry thought, pulling it out. It was a golden snitch.

'How did that get in my robes?' Harry wondered to himself, walking along the path, not knowing where it would take him. Little did he know, he was about to experience something, that should have happened to him, but didn't before.

All of a sudden, a tidal wave of memories hit him like a speeding train, making him stagger, and fall to his knees.

'_Harry, in Godric's Hallow, tracing a triangle on a tombstone…'_

'_Harry, in the room of requirement, running from monsters made of fire, with a tiara in his hands…'_

'_Harry, diving into froze over water, trying to pick up Gryffindor's sword from the bottom of the pond…'_

'_Harry and Ron, facing off with the locket, destroying it with the sword…'_

'_Harry, looking down at a book with Albus Dumbledore's picture on the front, frowning at it…'_

'_Harry, with his invisibility cloak, visiting Xenophilius Lovegood, and learning the story of the Deathly Hallows…'_

'_Harry disguised, talking with Krum at Bill's wedding, about Grindelwald's mark…'_

'_Harry, entering the Forbidden Forest, opening a snitch and putting on the ring inside of it…'_

'_Harry, watching Snape die, finding out that Snape was Dumbledore's man all along…'_

'_Harry, receiving the last of the Deathly Hallows, a curious wand that Voldemort possessed, but had been called back to its true owner Harry…'_

'_Voldemort's death by his own rebounding curse…'_

'_Kreacher caring about Harry…'_

'_Dobby's death…'_

'_Fred's death…'_

'_Remus and Tonks' death…'_

'_A feeling of joy, watching his Holly Wand be repaired…'_

Harry just sat there for a moment, trying to take in all these Alternate memories that had entered his mind. Finally standing up, he transfigured a long branch into a simple walking stick, and leaned on that for support.

* * *

Walking the path, the trees started to thin, and he found himself outside of Hagrid's hut.

'How did that happen,' Harry asked himself.

Looking around the grounds, he saw the bodies of death eaters, students, aurors, and magical creatures alike. Putting his hands into his robes again, he found that there was a curious black wand in his pockets as well… looking down, he saw that he couldn't even see his body. Then it hit him. 'If what I think is in the snitch, is really in there, I could use these to turn the tide against Sidious, and his band of merry men…'

He looked up at the magnificent castle once more, and said aloud, "I never tire of seeing you, Hogwarts."

He heard a gasp behind him. He turned around, and was looking at…

* * *

_A few minutes earlier…_

"Just in case they're – busy – and you get the chance –" Harry 'alternate' said.

"Kill the snake?" Neville asked.

"Kill the snake," Harry 'alternate' repeated.

"All right, Harry. You're okay, are you?"

"I'm fine. Thanks, Neville."

But Neville seized his wrist as Harry 'alternate' made to move on. "We're all going to keep fighting, Harry. You know that?"

"Yeah, I –" but Harry 'alternate' could not finish his sentence. Neville did not seem to find it strange. He patted Harry 'alternate' on the shoulder, released him, and walked away to look for more bodies.

Harry 'alternate' pulled his Cloak over himself, and walked back into the forest. Someone else was moving not far away, but dismissed it, as it was just another student walking back up to Hogwarts.

Neville had started walking back towards the bodies, going over towards Hagrid's hut, but then he saw a figure. Creeping up behind it, he pointed his wand in front of him, but just as a spell was about to leave his lips, he saw the figures face. He gasped.

Harry turned around, and saw Neville there, pointing his wand at him. He smiled slightly at Neville, then…

Harry woke up.

* * *

"Awake, I see you are," a familiar little green alien said to Harry.

Harry shook his head, and peered over at the alien. "Master Yoda?"

"Look well you do," Yoda commented to his former Padawan, and fellow Jedi.

"I don't mean to be blunt, but where are we?" Harry asked, in a confused manner.

"On the swamp planet Dagobah, we are,"

"Dagobah? Why are we way out here? Why aren't we at the Jedi temple with all the other Jedi?"

Yoda's face darkened and he bowed his head. "Heard, you have not? Killed years ago, they all were. Darth Vader, killed them he did."

"Darth Vader? What happened to Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi? Surely they are still alive…" Harry asked, and finally, the knowledge hit him.

_They were dead, all dead, every single one of them…_

"Where is this Darth Vader? I must stop him from killing more innocent people," Harry said angrily.

Yoda shook his head. "Anger leads to hate, hate leads to…suffering. Avoid this you must! Anakin, Vader once was."

Harry stared at Yoda with his mouth hanging slightly open. He shut it quickly, and said, "There is no way! Anakin would have never turned to the Dark side of the Force!" '_Especially after taking all of those steps to prevent it from happening…'_

Hedwig gave a soft cry and flew over to Harry. She gave a soft cry, and Harry felt his spirits lifted, but only slightly.

"Been to your Home Planet, I see you have," Yoda said, commenting on his style of dress.

Harry looked down, and then nodded, dumbfound, as this seemed to be the same robe as he had in his dream…

Reaching into his pocket, he felt a light silvery fabric within his fingers, and a hard, cool, metal ball in there as well. Reaching into his other pocket, his face drained of all color. There was a wand in there, but his wand was over on Yoda's small little table. What if…

_Could it be possible, that the dream really happened? Or at least gave me the things I would need at a later time? No… it wouldn't be possible, Harry. Stop thinking such ridiculous thoughts…_

Yet, he dreaded pulling out the three items that were in his robes. The thought of having them terrified him beyond no bounds. _Master of Death…_

Hedwig made another small burst of song. She seemed to be… well, _crying_. He stroked her feathers softly, and suddenly, he felt a white-hot heat on his shoulder, that seemed to be from Hedwig. "Hedwig…?"

The last thing he saw before the light completely took him over, was Yoda and his little hut.

* * *

The Dark Figure sat at his throne in his newly conquered palace, the formerly known Gringotts Bank. He had turned the place into a kind of Modern Colosseum. His favorite sport was to capture _witches_ and _wizards_ and make them fight to the death with various _magical _(he spat at that name) creatures. And creatures they were. The proud Centaurs were now reduced to nothing but an alternate form of horse. Instead of Lion fights, they had Dragons and Gryffins and Basilisks, making these poor souls fight these monsterous creatures. They even had naval battles, forcing men and women, who's only crime had been that they were born magical, to face the worst creatures of the deep. Krakens, Giant Squids, Sharks the size of JAWS... and bigger.

And the Dark Figure laughed at it all. Single-handidly, he had destroyed the wizarding world, and brought them to their knees. Finally, he would have revenge on the man who had left him when he needed him the most. The man who understood what true power was, but refused to use it unless it was absolutely necessary... and Anakin hated him.

The Dark Figure, now identified as Anakin, had perfected his technique of torture and pain, only wishing he could bring this pain he had endured, upon Harry effing Potter. It was HIS fault, that Padme died, it was HIS fault, that he wasn't strong enough to prevent Mace-Windu's death. It was ALL. Harry. Bloody. Potter's. Fault.

And Anakin would kill him if he ever saw Potter again.

* * *

Author's Note: Another Short Chapter, but at least I didn't update like 1829372894723987 months later, you have to give me that. Anyway leave me some reviews, it lets me know how well I'm doing as a writer. Anonymous or Signed, doesn't matter, just leave me a note. All I ask is that you don't be cruel while reviewing. I could understand if I was writing like a 3 year old or something, but don't be cruel.

READ AND REVIEW!

Beggs


	12. Weakness of Bonds, Strength of Darkness

Thanks to everyone that's reviewed in the past several months, and to those that have put this story on either their favorites, or their story alerts! thanks guys! I'm trying to update a LOT more now, seeing as its summer now, and i have almost nothing to do so... i'll definitely get on writing more of this story...

* * *

_Harry walked into his quarters, and saw his faithful snake, Galazar, resting on the windowsill. When he looked around, he saw his other familiar, Hedwig, and smiled. "Hedwig, are you ready to go and see the new spells that have been created?" and he said to Galazar, "**Galazar, I am going to my home world, to pick up some books on spells that I could use. Do you want to come?**__"_

_The snake replied, "__**Sure, Master Harry, I would love to go.**__"_

_Harry shook his head. "__**Gala, how many times do I have to ask you to stop calling me Master? For the Billionth time, it's Harry.**__"_

"_**Okay, Master Harry.**__"_

_**Stubborn snake…**__Harry thought._

"_**Well Gala, wrap yourself around me, and we will go.**__"__ Harry said to her._

_As soon as Gala had wrapped herself firmly onto Harry, he called out to Hedwig and said, "To Diagon Alley, girl." In a flash of white light, they were gone._

* * *

**Chapter Twelve:**

**Weakening of Bonds, Strengthening of Darkness**

* * *

"Harry? Are you here, Harry," Anakin called into Harry's Quarters. Not feeling his force signature in his room, Anakin opened the door, and looked around. It appeared as though Harry had been planning this outing for quite a while, seeing as things weren't thrown haphazardly like he thought they might. Harry's bed was made, and his room quite tidy. Anakin walked out onto Harry's balcony, and took in the sunlit sparkling skyline of Coruscant's infinite metallic buildings.

_Where could Harry have gone?_ Anakin wondered to himself. Shaking his head, he went off in search of Yoda, or even Mace Windu, knowing that if anyone knew what had happened to Harry, it would be them.

* * *

The hatch cycled shut, the shuttle lifted off, and Obi-Wan's smile faded as he turned to Mace Windu. "You wanted to speak with me."

Windu moved close to Obi-Wan's position by the window, nodding out at the scene on the landing platform. "It's Anakin. I don't like his relationship with Palpatine."

"We've had this conversation before."

"There is something between them. Something new. I could see it in the Force." Mace's voice was flat and grim. "It felt powerful. And incredibly dangerous."

Obi-Wan spread his hands. "I trust Anakin with my life."

"I know you do. I only wish we could trust the Chancellor with Anakin's."

"Yes," Obi-Wan said, frowning. "Palpatine's policies are… sometimes questionable. But he dotes on Anakin like a kindly old uncle on his favorite nephew."

Mace stared out the window. "The Chancellor loves power. If he has any other passion, I have not seen it."

Obi-Wan shook his head with a trace of disbelief. "I recall that not so long ago, you were something of an admirer of his."

"Things," Mace Windu said grimly, "change."

Flying over a landscape pocked with smoldering wreckage where once tall buildings filled with living beings had gleamed in the sun, toward a Temple filled with memories of so many, many Jedi who would never return from this war, Obi-Wan could not disagree.

After a moment, he said, "What would you have me do?"

"I am not certain, You know my power; I cannot always interpret what I've seen. Be alert. Be mindful of Anakin, and be careful of Palpatine. He is not to be trusted, and his luence on Anakin is dangerous."

"But Anakin is the chosen one-"

"All the more reason to fear an outsider's influence. We have circumstantial evidence that traces Sidious to Palpatine's inner circle."

Suddenly Obi-Wan had difficulty breathing. "Are you certain?"

Mace shook his head. "Nothing is certain. But this raid--the capture of Palpatine had to be an inside job. And the timing… we were closing _in_ on him, Master Kenobi! The information you and Anakin discovered—we had traced the Sith Lord to an abandoned factory in The Works, not far from where Anakin landed the cruiser. When the attack began, we were tracking him through the downlevel tunnels." Mace stared out the viewport at a vast residential complex that dominated the skyline to the west. "The trial led to the sub-basement of Five Hundred Republica."

Five Hundred Republica was the most exclusive address on the planet. Its inhabitants included only the incredibly wealthy or the incredibly powerful, from Faith Sienar of the Sienar Systems conglomerate to Palpatine himself. Obi-Wan could only say, "Oh."

"We have to face the possibility—the probability—that what Dooku told you on Geonosis was actually _true_. That the Senate is under the influence—under the control—of Darth Sidious. That it has been for _years_."

"Do you—" Obi-Wan had to swallow before he could go on. "Do you have any suspects?"

"Too many. All we know of Sidious is that he's bipedal, of roughly human conformation. Sate Pestage springs to mind. I wouldn't rule out Mas Amedda, either. The Sith Lord might even be hiding among the Red Guards. There's no way to know."

"Who's handling the question?" Obi-Wan asked. "I'd be happy to sit in, my perceptions are not so refined as some, but—"

Mace shook his head. "Interrogate the Supreme Chancellor's personal aides and advisors? Impossible."

"But—"

"Palpatine will never allow it. Though he hasn't said so…" Mace stared out the window. "…I'm not sure he even believes the Sith exist."

Obi-Wan blinked. "But—how can he—"

"Look at it from his point of view: the only real evidence we have is Dooku's word. And…" Mace was suddenly cut off by a loud beeping noise. He pulled out a small electronic device, and opened it, to see a Clone Trooper staring him back in the face, via a Hologram.

"Master Windu, I'm sorry to have bothered you sir, but there has been a slight problem with the transporting of Count Dooku. He appears to have been fried, but we have no idea what could have caused it sir," the clone trooper said.

"I see. This complicates things a little more. Keep me up to date on anything else that might happen. Bring his body to the Jedi temple. We'll have a proper burial for him there," Mace commanded into the device, then shut it off.

Mace leaned over, rubbing his temples with his fingertips. "I'm sure you heard all of that. It appears as though Dooku's killed himself with Sith Lightning. I KNEW we should have had a Jedi on board that transport, just in case something like this had happened… Oh well, I suppose. This just complicates things a whole lot more."

"What's going to happen, now that Dooku's dead? Now we have no evidence," Obi-Wan said, concerned.

"Well, again, look at it from his point of view: the only real evidence we have is Dooku's word. And he's dead now."

"The Sith Lord on Naboo—the Zabrak who killed Qui-Gon—"

Mace shrugged. "Destroyed. As you know." He shook his head. "Relations with the Chancellor's Office are… difficult. I feel he has lost his trust in the Jedi; I have certainly lost my trust in him."

"But he doesn't have the authority to interfere with a Jedi investigation…" Obi-Wan frowned, suddenly uncertain. "Does he?"

"The Senate has surrendered so much power, it's hard to say where his authority stops."

"It's that bad?"

Mace's jaw locked. "The only reason Palpatine's not a suspect is because he _already_ rules the galaxy."

"But we are closer than we have ever been to rooting out the Sith," Obi-Wan said slowly. "That can only be good news. I would think that Anakin's friendship with Palpatine could be of use to us in this—he has the kind of access to Palpatine that other Jedi might only dream of. Their friendship is an asset, not a danger."

* * *

"You can't tell him."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Of the whole Council, only Yoda and myself know how deep this actually goes. And now you. I have decided to share this with you because you are in the best situation to watch Anakin. Watch him. Nothing more."

"We—" Obi-Wan shook his head helplessly. "We don't keep secrets from each other."

"You must keep this one." Mace laced his fingers together and squeezed until his knuckles crackled like blasterfire. "Skywalker is arguably the most powerful Jedi alive, and his is still getting stronger. But he is not _stable_. You know it. We all do. It is why he cannot be given Mastership. We must keep him off the Council, despite his extraordinary gifts. And Jedi prophecy… is not absolute. The less he has to do with Palpatine, the better."

"But surely—" Obi-Wan stopped himself. He thought of how many times Anakin had violated orders. He thought of how unflinchingly loyal Anakin was to anyone he considered a friend. He thought of the danger Palpatine faced unknowingly, with a Sith Lord among his advisers…

Master Windu was right. This was a secret Anakin could not be trusted to keep.

"What _can_ I tell him?"

"Tell him nothing. I sense the dark side around him. Around them both."

"As it is around us all," Obi-Wan reminded him. "The dark side touches all of us, Master Windu. Even you."

"I know that too well, Obi-Wan." For one second Obi-Wan saw something raw and haunted in the Korun Master's eyes. Mace turned away. "It is possible that we may have to… move against Palpatine."

"Move _against_—?"

"If he is truly under the control of a Sith Lord, it may be the only way."

Obi-Wan's whole body had gone numb. This didn't seem real. It was not possible that he was actually having this conversation.

"You haven't _been_ here, Obi-Wan." Mace stared bleakly down at his hands. "You've been fighting the war in the Outer Rim. You don't know what it's been like, dealing with all the petty squabbles and special interests and greedy, grasping fools in the Senate, and Palpatine's constant, cynical, ruthless maneuvering for power—he carves away chunks of our freedom and bandages the wounds with tiny scraps of security. And for what? Look at this planet, Obi-Wan! We have given up so much freedom—how secure do we _look_?"

Obi-Wan's heart clenched. This was not the Mace Windu he knew and admired; it was as though the darkness in the Force was so much thicker here on Coruscant that it had breathed poison into Mace's spirit—and perhaps was even breeding suspicion and dissension among the members of the Jedi Council.

The greatest danger from the darkness outside came when Jedi fed it with the darkness within.

He had feared he might find matters had deteriorated when he returned to Coruscant and the Temple; not even in his darkest dreams had he thought it would get this bad.

"Master Windu—Mace. We'll go to Yoda together," he said firmly. "And among the three of us we'll work something out. We will. You'll see."

"It may be too late already."

"It may be. And it may not be. We can only do what we can do, Mace. A very, very wise Jedi once said to me, _We don't have to win. All we have to do is fight._"

Some of the lines erased themselves from the Korun Master's face then, and when he met Obi-Wan's eye there was a quirk at the corner of his mouth that might someday develop a smile—a tired, sad smile, but a smile nonetheless. "I seem," he said slowly, "to have forgotten that particular Jedi. Thank you for reminding me."

"It was the least I could do," Obi-Wan said lightly, but a sad weight had gathered on his chest.

_Things change, indeed._

* * *

Author's Note: It's been about 5 or 6 months since my last update, and I apologize, but things happen. I had a giant writers block, and it still is in existence. I apologize for the super heavy duty wait, and how Harry wasn't involved in the slightest in this chapter. Anyway, Read and Review, but no Flames. Okay? Thanks guys!


	13. The Fate of a Wizard

A/N: I've officially decided that this is the last chapter of FOAW. There WILL be a sequel, don't worry, but I need some time to readjust my thoughts, and the storyline. So I'm going to try to make this as long as possible, and to fill in the gaps. But as you might have guessed… this chapter will be called "The Fate of a Wizard". I actually wrote this chapter a long time ago… but I've been editing it, and revising it, and now I think it is finally ready to be posted here on Fanfiction. This is gonna be by far the longest, I'm sure. Enjoy!

* * *

_He had feared he might find matters had deteriorated when he returned to Coruscant and the Temple; not even in his darkest dreams had he thought it would get this bad._

"_Master Windu—Mace. We'll go to Yoda together," he said firmly. "And among the three of us we'll work something out. We will. You'll see."_

"_It may be too late already."_

"_It may be. And it may not be. We can only do what we can do, Mace. A very, very wise Jedi once said to me, '__**We don't have to win'. All we have to do is fight**__.__"_

_Some of the lines erased themselves from the Korun Master's face then, and when he met Obi-Wan's eye there was a quirk at the corner of his mouth that might someday develop a smile—a tired, sad smile, but a smile nonetheless. "I seem," he said slowly, "to have forgotten that particular Jedi. Thank you for reminding me."_

"_It was the least I could do," Obi-Wan said lightly, but a sad weight had gathered on his chest._

_**Things change, indeed.**_

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen:**

**The Fate of a Wizard**

* * *

It was just then that Anakin remembered a very important detail. _Padme…_ Anakin stopped running in the direction of the Council chambers in wonder about the whereabouts of Harry, and instead, took off towards the large Senate building. _I'm coming Padme…_

Anakin's heart pounded in his throat, but he kept smiling, and nodding, and shaking hands—and trying desperately to work his way toward a familiar golden-domed protocol droid who hung back beyond the crowd of Senators, right arm lifted in a small, tentative wave at R2-D2.

She wasn't here. Why wasn't she here?

Something _must_ have happened.

He knew, deep in his guts, that something had happened to her. An accident, or she was sick, or she'd been caught in one of the vast number of buildings hit by debris from the battle today… She might be trapped somewhere _right now_, might be wounded, might be _smothering_, calling out his name, might be feeling the approach of _flames_—

_Stop it_, he told himself._ She's not hurt_. If anything had happened to her, he would know. Even from the far side of the Outer Rim, he would know.

So why wasn't she here?

Had something…

He could barely breathe. He couldn't make himself even think it. He couldn't stop himself from thinking it.

Had something _changed_? For her?

In how she felt?

He managed to disengage himself from Tundra Dowmeia's clammy grip and insistent invitations to visit his family's deepwater estate on Mon Calamari; he slid past the Malastarian Senator Ask Aak with an apologetic shrug.

He had a different Senator on his mind.

R2 was wheeping and beeping and whistling intensely when Anakin finally struggled free of the mass of sweaty, grasping politicians; C-3PO had turned away dismissively. "It couldn't have been that bad. Don't exaggerate! You're hardly even dented."

R2's answering _feroo_ sounded a little defensive. C-3PO sent a wisp of static through his vocabulator that sounded distinctly like a disapproving sniff. "On that point I agree; you're long overdue for a tune-up. And, if I may say so, a _bath_."

"Threepio—"

Anakin came up close beside the droid he had built in the back room of his mother's slave hovel on Tatooine: the droid who had been both project and friend through his painful childhood: the droid who now served the woman he loved…

Threepio had been with her all these months, had seen her every day, had _touched_ her, perhaps even _today_—he could feel echoes of her resonating outward from his electroplated shell, and they left him breathless.

"Oh, Master Anakin!" Threepio exclaimed. "I am _very_ glad to find you well! One does worry, when friends fall out of touch! Why, I was saying to the Senator, just the other day—or was it last week? Time seems to run together so; do you think you might have opportunity to adjust my internal calendar settings while you're—"

"Threepio, have you _seen_ her?" Anakin was trying so hard not to shout that his voice came out a strangled croak. "Where _is_ she? Why isn't she _here_?"

"Oh, well, certainly, certainly. Officially, Senator Amidala is _extremely_ busy," C-3PI said imperturbably. "She has been sequestered all day in the Naboo embassy, reviewing the new Security Act, preparing for tomorrow's debate—"

Anakin couldn't breathe. She wasn't _here_, hadn't come to meet him, over some _debate_?

The Senate. He _hated_ the Senate. Hated everything about it.

A red haze gathered inside his head. Those self-righteous, narrow-minded, grubby little squabblers… He'd be doing the galaxy a favor if he were to go over there right _now_ and just—

"Wait," he murmured, blinking. "Did you say, _officially?_"

"Oh yes, Master Anakin." Threepio sounded entirely virtuous. "That is my _official_ answer to all queries regarding the Senator's whereabouts. All afternoon."

The red haze evaporated, leaving only sunlight and dizzyingly fresh air.

Anakin smiled.

"And _un_officially?"

The protocol droid leaned close with an exaggerated conspiratorial whisper: "Unofficially, she's waiting in the hallway."

It felt like being struck by lightning. But in a good way. In the best way any man has ever felt since, roughly, the birth of the universe.

Threepio gave a slight nod at the other Senators and the HoloNet crews on the gangway. "She thought it best to avoid a, ah, _public_ scene. And she wished for me to relate to you that she believes the _both_ of you might… _avoid_ a public _scene_… all _afternoon_. And perhaps all night, as well."

"Threepio!" Anakin blinked at him. He felt an irrational desire to giggle. "What exactly are you suggesting?"

"I'm sure I couldn't say, sir. I am only performing as per the Senator's instructions."

"You—" Anakin shook his head in wonder while his smile grew to a grin he though might split open his cheeks. "You are amazing."

"Thank you, Master Anakin, though credit for that is due largely—" C-3PO made an elegantly gracious bow. "—to my creator."

Anakin could only go on grinning.

With that, the golden protocol droid laid an affectionate hand on R2's dome. "Come along, Artoo. I have found the most delightful body shop down in the Lipartian Way."

They moved away, whirring and clanking after the Senators who were already off among the HoloNet crews. Anakin's smile faded as he watched them go.

He felt a presence at his shoulder and turned to find Palpatine beside him with a warm smile and a soft word, as he always seemed to be when Anakin was troubled.

"What is it, Anakin?" the Chancellor asked kindly. "Something is disturbing you. I can tell."

Anakin shrugged and gave his head a dismissive shake, embarrassed. "It's nothing."

"Anakin, anything that might upset a man such as yourself is certainly _some_thing. Let me help."

"There's nothing you can do. It's just—" Anakin nodded after 3PO and R2. "I was just thinking that even after all I've done, See-Threepio is still the only person I know who calls me _Master_."

"Ah. The Jedi Council." Palpatine slid an arm around Anakin's shoulders and gave him a comradely squeeze. "I believe I can be of some use to you in this problem after all."

"You can?"

"I should be very much surprised if I couldn't."

Palpatine's smile was still warm, but his eyes had gone distant.

"You may have noticed that I have a certain gift," he murmured, "for getting my way."

* * *

When constructing an effective Jedi trap—as opposed to the sort that results in nothing more than an embarrassingly brief entry in the Temple archives—there are several design features that one should include for best results.

The first is an irresistible bait. The commanding general of an outlaw nation, personally responsible for billions of deaths across the galaxy, is ideal.

The second is a remote, nearly inaccessible location, one that is easily taken and easily fortified, with a sharply restricted field of action. It should also, ideally, belong to someone else, preferably an enemy; the locations used for Jedi traps never survive the operation unscathed, and many don't survive it at all. An excellent choice would be an impoverished desert planet in the Outer Rim, with unwarlike natives, whose few cities are built in a cluster of sinkholes on a vast arid plateau. A city in a sinkhole is virtually a kill-jar; once a Jedi flies in, all one need do is seal the lid.

Third, since it is always a good idea to remain well out of reach when plotting against a Jedi's life—on the far side of the galaxy is considered best—one should have a reliable proxy to do the actual murder. The exemplar of a reliable proxy would be, for example, the most prolific living Jedi killer, backed up by a squad of advanced combat droids designed, built, and armed specifically to fight Jedi. Making one's proxy double as the bait is an impressively elegant stroke, if it can be managed, since it ensures that the Jedi victim will voluntarily place himself in contact with the Jedi killer—and will continue to do so even _after_ he realizes the extent of the trap, out of a combination of devotion to duty and a not-entirely-unjustified arrogance.

The fourth element of an effective Jedi trap is a massively overwhelming force of combat troops who are willing to burn the whole planet, including themselves if necessary, to ensure that the Jedi in question does not escape.

A textbook example of the ideal Jedi trap is the one that waited on Utapau for Obi-Wan Kenobi.

* * *

In the holocomm center of Jedi Command, within the heart of the Temple on Coruscant, Anakin watched a life-sized holoscan of Clone Commander Cody report that Obi-Wan had made contact with General Grievous.

"_We are beginning our supporting attack as ordered. And—if I may say so, sirs—from my experience working with General Kenobi, I have a suspicion that Grievous does not have long to live._"

_If I were with him,_ Anakin thought,_ it'd be more than a suspicion. Obi-Wan, be_ careful—

"Thank you, Commander." Mace Windu's face did not betray the slightest hint of mingled dread and anticipation Anakin was sure he must be feeling; while Anakin himself felt ready to burst, Windu looked calm as a stone. "Keep us apprised of your progress. May the Force be with you, and with Master Kenobi."

"_I'm sure it will be, sir. Cody out._"

The holoscan flickered to nothingness. Mace Windu turned brief but seemingly significant glances upon the other two Masters in attendance, both holoscans themselves: Ki-Adi-Mundi from the fortified command center on Mygeeto, and from a guerrilla outpost on Kashyyyk, Yoda.

Then he turned to Anakin. "Take this report to the Chancellor."

"Of course I will, Master."

"And take careful not of his reaction. We will need a full account."

"Master?"

"What he says, Anakin. Who he calls. What he does. Everything. Even his facial expressions. It's very important."

"I don't understand—"

"You don't have to. Just do it."

"Master—"

"Anakin, do I have to remind you remind you that you are still a Jedi? You are still subject to the orders of this Council."

"Yes, Master Windu. Yes, I am," he said, and left.

* * *

The dragonmount slipped sinuously through one of the wide oval apertures into the open air of the sinkhole, then turned and seized the sandstone with those hooked claws to carry Obi-Wan straight up the sheer wall.

Level after level they climbed. The city looked and felt deserted. Nothing moved save the shadows of clouds crossing the sinkhole's mouth far, far above; even the wind-power turbines had been locked down.

The first sign of life he saw came on the tenth level itself; a handful of other dragonmounts lay basking in the midday sun, not far from the durasteel barnacle of the droid-control center. Obi-Wan rode Boga, the dragonmount, right up to the control center's open archway, then jumped down from the saddle.

The archway led into a towering vaulted hall, its durasteel decking bare of furnishing. Deep within the shadows that gathered in the hall stood a cluster of five figures. Their faces were the color of bleached bone. Or ivory armorplast.

They looked like they might, just possibly, be waiting for him.

Obi-Wan nodded to himself.

"You'd best find your way home, girl," he said patting Boga's scaled neck. "One way or another, I doubt I'll have further need of your assistance."

Boga gave a soft, almost regretful honk of acknowledgment, then bent a sharper curve into her long flexible neck to place her beak gently against Obi-Wan's chest.

"It's alright, Boga. I thank you for your help, but to stay here will be dangerous. This area is about to become a free-fire zone. Please. Go home."

The dragonmount honked again and moved back, and Obi-Wan stepped from sun into shadow.

A wave-front of cool passed over him with the shade's embrace. He walked without haste, without urgency. The Force layered connections upon connections, and brought them all to life within him: the chill deck plates beneath his boots, and the stone beneath those, and far below that the smooth lightless currents of the world-ocean. He became the turbulent swirl of wind whistling through the towering vaulted hall; he became the sunlight outside and the shadow within. His human heart in its cage of bone echoed the beat of an alien one in a casket of armorplast, and his mind whirred with the electronic signal cascades that passed for thought in Jedi-killer droids.

And when the Force layered into his consciousness the awareness of the structure of the great hall itself, he became aware, without surprise and without distress, that the entire expanse of vaulted ceiling above his head was actually a storage hive.

Filled with combat droids.

Which made him also aware, again without surprise and without distress, that he would very likely die here.

Contemplation of death brought only one slight sting of regret, and more than a bit of puzzlement. Until this very moment, he had never realized he'd always expected, for no discernible reason—

That when he died, Anakin would be with him.

_How curious,_ he thought, and then he turned his mind to business.

* * *

Anakin had a feeling Master Windu was going to be disappointed.

Palpatine had hardly reacted at all.

The Supreme Chancellor of the Republic sat at the small desk in his private office, staring distractedly at an abstract twist of neuranium that Anakin had always assumed was supposed to be some kind of sculpture, and merely sighed, as though he had matters of much greater importance on his mind.

"I'm sorry, sir," Anakin said, shifting his weight in front of Palpatine's desk. "Perhaps you didn't hear me. Obi-Wan has made contact with General Grievous. His attack is already under way—they're fighting _right now_ sir!"

"Yes, yes, of course, Anakin. Yes, quite." Palpatine still looked as if he was barely paying attention. "I entirely understand your concern for your friend. Let us hope he is up to the task."

"It's not just concern for Obi-Wan, sir; taking General Grievous will be the final victory for the Republic—!"

"Will it?" He turned to Anakin, and a distinctly troubled frown chased the distraction from his face. "I'm afraid, my boy, that our situation is a great deal more grave than even I had feared. Perhaps you should sit down."

Anakin didn't move. "What do you mean?"

"Grievous is no longer the real enemy. Even the Clone Wars themselves are now only… a distraction."

"What?"

"The Council is about to make its move," Palpatine said, grim and certain. "If we don't stop them, by this time tomorrow, the Jedi may very well have taken over the Republic."

Anakin burst into astonished laughter. "But sir—please, you can't possibly _believe_ that—"

"Anakin, I _know_. I will be the first to be arrested—the first to be _executed_—but I will be far from the last."

Anakin could only shake his head in disbelief. "Sir, I know that the Council and you have… disagreements, but—"

"This is far beyond any personal dispute between me and the members of the Council. This is a plot _generations_ in the making—a plot to take over the Republic itself. Anakin, _think_— you know they don't trust you. They never have. You know they have been keeping things from you. You know they have made plans behind your back—you know that even your great friend _Obi-Wan_ has not told you what their true intentions are… and you know that your other great friend _Harry_ hasn't even been around to be there for you. Do you call that friendship? It's because you're not _like_ them, Anakin—you're a _man_, not just a Jedi."

Anakin's head drew down toward his shoulders as though he found himself under enemy fire. "I don't—they wouldn't—"

"Ask yourself: why did they send you to me with this news? _Why_? Why not simply notify me through normal channels?"

…_And take careful note of his reaction. We will need a full account…_

"Sir, I—ah—"

"No need to fumble for an explanation," he said gently. "You've already as much as admitted they've ordered you to spy upon me. Don't you understand that anything you tell them tonight—whatever it may be—will be used as an excuse to order my execution?"

"That's impossible—" Anakin sought desperately for an argument. "The Senate—the Senate would never allow it—"

"The Senate will be powerless to stop it. I told you this is bigger than any personal dislike between the Council and myself. I am only one man, Anakin. My authority is granted by the Senate; it is the 

Senate that is the true government of the Republic. Killing me is nothing; to control the Republic, the Jedi will have to take over the Senate _first_."

"But the Jedi—the Jedi _serve_ the Senate—!"

"Do they?" Palpatine asked mildly. "Or do they serve certain _Senators?_"

"This is all—I'm sorry, Chancellor, please, you have to understand how this _sounds_…"

"Here—" The Chancellor rummaged around within his desk for a moment, then brought forth a document reader. "Do you know what this is?"

Anakin recognized the seal Padme had placed on it. "Yes, sir—that's the Petition of the Two Thousand—"

"_No_, Anakin! No!" Palpatine slammed the document reader on his desktop hard enough to make Anakin jump. "It is a roll of _traitors_."

Anakin went absolutely still. "What?"

"There are, now, only two kinds of Senators in our government, Anakin. Those whose names are on this so-called _petition_," Palpatine said, "And those whom the Jedi are about to _arrest_."

Anakin could only stare.

He couldn't argue. He couldn't even make himself disbelieve.

He had only one thought.

_Padme…?_

How much trouble was she in?

"Didn't I _warn_ you, Anakin? Didn't I tell you what Obi-Wan was up to? Why do you think he was meeting with the leaders of this… delegation… behind your _back?_"

"But—but, sir, please, surely, all they asked for is an end to the war. It's what the Jedi want, too. I mean, it's what we _all_ want, isn't it? Isn't it?"

"Perhaps. Though _how_ that end comes about may be the single most important thing about the war. More important, even, than who wins."

"Don't be afraid, Anakin," Palpatine said calmly. "What is said between us here need never pass beyond these walls. Anakin, _think_: think how hard it has been to hold all your secrets inside. Have you ever needed to keep a secret from _me_?"

He ticked his fingers one by one. "I have kept the secret of your marriage all these years. The slaughter at the Tusken camp, you shared with me. I was there when you attacked, and defeated Count Dooku on the _Invisible Hand_. And I know where you got the power to defeat him. You see? You have never needed to _pretend_ with me, the way you must with your Jedi comrades. Do you understand that you need never hide _anything_ from me? That I accept you exactly as you are?"

He spread his hands as though offering a hug. "Share with me the truth. Your absolute truth. Let yourself _out_, Anakin."

"I—" Anakin shook his head. How many times had he dreamed of not having to pretend to be the perfect Jedi? But what else could he be? "I wouldn't even know how to begin."

"It's quite simple, in the end: tell me what you want."

Anakin squinted up at him. "I don't understand."

"Of course you don't." The last of the sunset haloed his white hair and threw his face into shadow. "You've been trained to never think about that. The Jedi never ask what _you_ want. They never give you a choice at all. That's why they take their students—their _victims_—at an age so young that choice is meaningless. By the time a Padawan is old enough to _choose_, he has been so indoctrinated—so _brainwashed_—that he is incapable of even considering the question. But you're different, Anakin. You had a real life, outside the Jedi Temple. You can break through the fog of lies the Jedi have pumped into your brain. I ask you again: what do you want?"

"I still don't understand."

"I am offering you… anything," Palpatine said. "Ask, and it is yours. A glass of water? It's yours. A bag full of Corusca gems? Yours. Look out the window behind me, Anakin. Pick something, and it's yours."

"Is this some kind of joke?"

"The time for jokes is past, Anakin. I have never been more serious." Within the shadow that cloaked Palpatine's face, Anakin could only just see the twin gleams of the Chancellor's eyes. "Pick something. Anything."

"All right…" Shrugging, frowning, still not understanding, Anakin looked out the window, looking for the most ridiculously expensive thing he could spot. "How about one of those new SoroSuub custom speeders—"

"Done."

"Are you serious? You know how much one of those things costs? You could practically outfit a _battle_ cruiser—"

"Would you prefer a battle cruiser?"

Anakin went still. A cold void opened in his chest. In a small, cautious voice, he said, "How about the Senatorial Apartments?"

"A private apartment?"

"Anakin shook his head, staring up at the twin gleams in the darkness on Palpatine's face. "The whole building."

Palpatine did not so much as blink. "Done."

"It's privately owned—"

"Not anymore."

"You can't just—"

"Yes, I can. It's yours. Is there anything else? Name it."

Anakin gazed blankly out into the gathering darkness. Stars began to shimmer through the haze of twilight. A constellation he recognized hung above the spires of the Jedi Temple.

"All right," Anakin said softly. "Corellia. I'll take Corellia."

"The planet, or the whole system?"

Anakin stared.

"Anakin?"

"I just—" He shook his head blankly. "I can't figure out if you're kidding, or completely insane."

"I am neither, Anakin. I am trying to impress upon you a fundamental truth of our relationship. A fundamental truth of _yourself_."

"What if I really _wanted_ the Corellian system? The whole Five Brothers—_all_ of it?"

"Then it would be yours. You can have the whole sector, if you like." The twin gleams within the shadow sharpened. "Do you understand, now? I will give you _anything you want._"

The concept left him dizzy. "What if I wanted—what if I went along with Padme and her friends? What if I want the war to _end_?"

"Would tomorrow be too soon?"

"How—" Anakin couldn't seem to get his breath. "How can you do that?"

"Right now, we are only discussing _what_. _How_ is a different issue; we'll come to that presently."

Anakin sank deeper into the chair while he let everything sink deeper into his brain. If only his head would stop spinning—why did Palpatine have to start all of this _now?_

This would all be easier to comprehend if the nightmares of Padme didn't keep screaming inside his head.

"And in exchange?" he asked, finally. "What do _I_ have to do?"

"You have to do what you _want._"

"What I want?"

"Yes, Anakin. Yes. Exactly that. Only that. Do the one thing that the Jedi fear most: make up your _own_ mind. Follow your own _conscience_. Do what _you_ think is right. I know that you have been longing for a life greater than that of an ordinary Jedi. _Commit_ to that life. I know you burn for a greater power than any Jedi can wield; give yourself _permission_ to _gain_ that power, and allow yourself license to _use_ it. You have dreamed of leaving the Jedi Order, having a family of your own—one that is based on _love_, not on enforced rules of self-denial."

"I—can't… I can't just… _leave_…"

"But you can."

Anakin couldn't breathe. He couldn't blink. He sat frozen. Even thought was impossible. "You can have every one of your dreams. Turn aside from the lies of the Jedi, and follow the truth of yourself. Leave them. Join me on the path of true power. Be my friend, Anakin. Be my student. My apprentice."

Anakin's vision tunneled again, but this time there was no light at the far end. He pulled back his hand, and it was shaking as he brought it up to support his face.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry, but—but as much as I want those things—as much as I care for you sir—I can't. I just can't. Not yet. Because there's only one thing I _really_ want, right now. Everything else will just have to wait."

"I know what you truly want," the shadow said. "I have only been waiting for you to admit it to yourself." A hand—a human hand, warm with compassion—settled onto his shoulder. "Listen to me: _I can help you save her._"

"You—"

Anakin blinked blindly.

"How can _you_ help?"

"Do you remember that myth I told you of, _The Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise_?" the shadow whispered.

The myth—

…_directly influence the midi-chlorians to create life; with such knowledge, to maintain life in someone already living would seem a small matter…_

"Yes," Anakin said. "Yes, I remember."

The shadow leaned so close that it seemed to fill the world.

"Anakin, it's no mere myth."

Anakin swallowed.

"Darth Plagueis was real."

Anakin could force out only a strangled whisper. "_Real…?_"

"Darth Plagueis was my Master. He taught me the key to his power," the shadow said, dryly matter-of-fact, "before I killed him."

Without understanding how he had moved, without even intending to move, without any transition of realization or dawning understanding, Anakin found himself on his feet. A blue bar of sizzling energy terminated a centimeter from Palpatine's chin, its glow casting red-edged shadows up his face and across the ceiling.

Only gradually did Anakin come to understand that this was his lightsaber, and that it was in his hand.

"You," he said. Suddenly, he was neither dizzy nor tired.

Suddenly everything made sense.

"It's _you_. It's _been_ you all _along_!"

In the clean blue light of his blade he stared into the face of a man whose features were familiar to him as his own, but now seemed as alien as an extragalactic comet—because now he finally understood that those familiar features were only a mask.

He had never seen this man's real face.

"I should _kill_ you," he said. "I _will_ kill you!"

Palpatine gave him that wise, kindly-uncle smile Anakin had been seeing since the age of nine. "For what?"

"You're a _Sith Lord_!"

"I am," he said simply. "I am also your friend."

The blue bar of energy wavered, just a bit. "I am also the man who has always been here for you. I am the man you have never needed to lie to. I am the man who wants nothing from you but that you follow your conscience. If that conscience requires you to commit murder, simply over a… philosophical difference… I will not resist."

His hands opened, still at his sides. "Anakin, when I told you that you can have anything you want, did you think I was excluding my life?"

The floor seemed to soften beneath Anakin's feet, and the room started to swirl darkness and ooze confusion. "You—you won't even _fight_—?"

"Fight you?" In the blue glow that cast shadows up from Palpatine's chin, the Chancellor looked astonished that he would suggest such a thing. "But what will happen when you kill me? What will happen to the Republic?" His tone was gently reasonable. "What will happen to Padme?"

"_Padme…_"

Her name was a gasp of anguish.

"When I die," Palpatine said with the air of a man reminding a child of something he ought to already know, "my knowledge dies with me."

The sizzling blade trembled.

"Unless, that is, I have the opportunity to teach it… to my apprentice…"

His vision swam.

"I…" A whisper of naked pain, and despair. "I don't know what to _do_…"

Palpatine gazed upon him, loving and gentle as he had ever been, though only a whisker shy of a lightsaber's terminal curve.

And what if this face was _not_ a mask? What if the true face of the Sith was exactly what he saw before him: a man who had cared for him, had helped him, and had been his loyal friend when he'd thought he had no other?

What _then_?

"…_Anakin… always remember who you are…" _a distant voice from the past seemed to call. _Whose voice was that?_ Anakin silently wondered to himself.

"Anakin," Palpatine said kindly, pulling Anakin out of his stupor. "Let's talk."

* * *

Harry was floating in a vast sea of white. Having no recollection of how he had gotten there, Harry tried getting up, but found himself not able to. _Having no surface of which to speak of slightly put a stopper to _that_ plan. Bugger._

Harry had no idea how long he had actually been in this strange vacuum. There wasn't any form of life anywhere as far as his eyes could see. Not even his beloved Hedwig was with him.

_Speaking of Hedwig…_

"Hedwig!" Harry called out. There was no flash of white fire, no beautiful phoenix song. Only the vast empty whiteness of the vacuum.

"She won't come, you know," a voice rang out, cutting through the stale, empty air.

Harry whipped around. Or, rather tried to. Instead, he managed to whack himself in the head with his fist.

"Ouch… who goes there?"

"Who I am is of no concern at the present. The question is not who I am, but where _you_ are," the Voice said.

"Could you at _least_ come out so I could see you? And perhaps you could help me out here… I'm having a slight bloody issue," Harry growled out, looking around for the source.

"Language, Potter, Language. My, my, such a temper! You'll never get anywhere in life with _that_ attitude," the Voice said casually, seemingly from everywhere, and nowhere all at once. "However, I suppose I _could_ come release you from your bonds… However, you are not quite ready to meet me in person. Soon, I promise. But today is _not_ that day."

"Where the _bloody hell_ am—Oof!" Harry fell to the ground. Hard.

_Funny… that wasn't there before…_

The Voice laughed, seemingly able to hear his thoughts. "Of course I can hear your thoughts Potter, what do you take me for? A deaf simpleton?"

"Yes," Harry muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing at all. Sir, Madame, whatever the bloody hell you are, where am I?" Harry said despairingly.

"You are in, to make matters simple, a time vacuum. Here, time doesn't exist, it just IS. Here is where your pet Hedwig dropped you on accident. You see, something strange, yet miraculous occurred while you were on Earth. That no good Dark Lord minion that threw in that sleeping gas… well it _affected_ you." The Voice explained, booming.

"_Affected_ me? How so?" Harry blinked, and stood up from his sitting position he was in before.

"There is no more time to explain Harry. Now, you must make a choice. Pull out those three objects from your cloak pocket," the Voice commanded.

Harry obliged. "Now what?"

"Set them at 60 degree angles from each other, thus forming a triangle. Now, stand in the center of the triangle you have just created."

Harry stepped into the middle.

"Now, you must decide. Do you wish for a life like those memories you experienced on Dagobah? If you do, you can choose the Resurrection Stone, and you shall immediately have that life. There will be no switching of bodies, there will be no _Alternate_ you. It will only be you, Harry, and you alone."

"If you choose your father's invisibility cloak, you shall return to whence you came, on Dagobah, never to be able to return to the life you knew, as old friends become enemies, and you watch those you love… die once more," the voice said softly.

"What if I choose the Elder Wand?" Harry asked, afraid.

"The Elder Wand… if you choose this, you shall be returned to a time where power_ existed_, not feeble old manipulative men who wish to be the sole ruler of one galaxy. Where power of such magnitude could be _taught_, instead of won. So I ask you, Harry, which do you choose? The Power of Resurrection, having the secure knowledge that you beat Voldemort, and raise a family that you can be sure grows up in a wonderful world full of learning? Or what about the Power of Invisibility, returning to your present, in which you wake up to Yoda, your former Master, peering at you, and helping your body recover, only to find that your friends are either old, or dead, and a new Lord of the Sith rising with the help of his Master, the Emperor."

The Voice paused. "Finally, the Power of Invincibility. If you choose this final Power, you will gain the skills needed to _save the universe_. Is that not what you set out to do, Harry? You once vowed, that you would stop at nothing, until the Dark Lord was dead. Harry… you are as the Sith'ari of Legend! Do you remember the history of it? I know you studied it while in the Jedi Library, all those years ago, with Darra. Do you remember?"

* * *

_Flashback_

"_Hey! Harry!" Darra squealed as she run up to him._

"_Darra! It's so good to see you!" Harry hugged her, and smiled, letting go._

"_It's good to see you too Harry, it really is," Darra said, still smiling. "What are you researching?"_

_Harry lowered his voice, and leaned in, using a conspiratorial whisper. "I'm looking up the legend of the Sith'ari, Ra."_

_Darra giggled at the use of his nickname for her, but lowered her voice too, becoming serious. "What did you come up with?"_

"_Well, __sometime during the early history of the __First Sith__Empire__, the coming of the Sith'ari was foretold. Inspired by the legend of __Adas__, the Sith'ari was prophesied a perfect being, free of all restrictions—the ultimate Sith. The Sith'ari would rise to power to lead the Sith and, according to the legend, destroy them—yet, through their destruction, make them stronger than ever…" Harry sighed dreamily. "Wouldn't that be bloody brilliant if I could somehow achieve something such as that?"_

"_Oh Harry, just be careful alright? I don't want to see you get hurt… promise me you'll be careful and stay strong?"_

"_I promise Ra, I won't let anything keep me from fulfilling our dreams…"_

_End Flashback_

* * *

"I don't know… all of these things… may I have a little time to think about this?" Harry asked desperately, looking down at his feet.

"I'm sorry, but time IS of the essence. I need to know, right now, Harry… I'm sorry." The Voice said gently, its tone's softer than before.

_What should I choose? Do I want to have that life on Earth, with a family and friends? Yes… but I also have friends and people I would consider my family as well… but I can't even get to them…_

"Voice, if I choose the Elder Wand, will I be able to return to my time, and see Anakin and Obi-Wan again?" Harry asked slowly.

"Harry… let me put it this way. If you choose the Elder Wand, with enough training and experience, you can do whatever you wish. After all, it was once said by a very great Force-sensitive, '_If we were to fight the Masters of Old, we would be child's play compared to them,'._ Does that answer your question Harry?"

_I… I…_

"I—I choose—" Harry started, shakily, murmuring to himself.

'_Go on Harry… Live your life as __**you**__ want to, not as others have set for you…'_ a voice that sounded oddly like Darra's ringing in his head.

"I—I suppose I'll go with the Elder Wand." Harry finished, choosing the Elder Wand. In a flash of bright light, he disappeared through time and space.

* * *

Out of the Light, stepped a large, dark, cloaked figure. "Harry… good luck on your journey… and I thank you for returning to me what I once lost to three very different brothers…"

Death, in all of his glory, smiled.

* * *

Author's Note: This is it! I finally finished The Fate of a Wizard! I'm sad, but really excited as well! Look for the sequel soon! After all, I haven't explained EVERYTHING yet haha. Anyway, red and review, but don't flame please. I appreciate all constructive criticism, as long as that's what it really is. See you all soon!

Beggs


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